China says it hopes to see its investment agreement with the European Union ratified soon amid intense speculation that the EU may abandon the deal.
An EU spokeswoman on Tuesday denied reports it had suspended efforts to ratify the deal signed with China but warned the ratification process “cannot be separated from the evolving dynamics of the wider EU-China relationship”.
After the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) was signed last year, relations between China and the EU have nosedived over human rights concerns in Xinjiang. In March, the EU joined the United States, Britain and Canada in imposing sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Beijing has retaliated with sanctions on European officials and academics, hitting the chances of the European Parliament ratifying the deal.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that Beijing wanted to keep up communications with the EU to ensure the deal was ratified as soon as possible.