On 9th March 2021, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor and Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, at the latter's request.
This phone call provided an opportunity to discuss the bilateral relations between Luxembourg and China and their prospects of development, particularly in the areas of logistics, satellite communications, green and sustainable finance and financial technology.
The two Ministers discussed the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed the importance of promoting multilateral cooperation to meet this global challenge. They identified the fight against climate change as an area for enhanced cooperation between China and the European Union, in view of the COP26 to be held in Glasgow in November this year.
Minister Wang Yi welcomed the conclusion of negotiations between the European Union and China on the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which constitutes an important step in opening up Chinese markets to European companies and in strengthening Sino-European relations. In this context, Luxembourg's foreign policy chief expressed his hope that progress could be made on sustainable development and labour laws.
In the context of the cooperation in multilateral fora, the two Ministers had an exchange of views on human rights. They discussed the situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as recent developments in Myanmar. On this occasion, Minister Asselborn emphasised the crucial role played by the Human Rights Council in strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, and recalled Luxembourg's candidacy to the Human Rights Council for the 2022-2024 term.
The Ministers reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen bilateral relations, noting that the year 2022 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Luxembourg and the People's Republic of China.
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs