EU should not let agreement fall prey to lies and prejudice

Contradicting reports on Tuesday that apparently quoted European Union Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis out of context, his communication adviser Vanessa Mock confirmed that no formal decision had been made by the EU to suspend the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment.

However, it seems that although the technical work is ongoing to prepare the ground for ratification, the EU is unhappy about the sanctions China imposed on European lawmakers, which its trade chief described as "unacceptable".

Yet Dombrovskis knows that the sanctions were imposed after the EU unilaterally and baselessly imposed sanctions on Chinese individuals and an entity for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in late March. It was fully justified for China to counter with retaliatory sanctions against lawmakers, academics and institutions that had "maliciously spread lies and disinformation" about the situation in Xinjiang.