Democracy Dies in Darkness
Europe

E.U. defends handling of China relations after Beijing censors op-ed written by bloc’s ambassadors

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May 7, 2020 at 3:08 p.m. EDT
Workers load plywood that will be exported on a cargo ship at a port in Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, eastern China, on May 7, 2020. (AFP/Getty Images)

BRUSSELS — European Union officials on Thursday defended their handling of relations with China during the coronavirus pandemic, a day after the E.U. ambassador to Beijing allowed an opinion article about E.U.-Chinese relations that he co-wrote to be censored before publication in a state-run newspaper.

The censorship was the second time in two weeks that the European Commission’s foreign policy branch made a concession to Chinese demands to tone down criticism. In the first instance, it softened elements of a leaked report that analyzed Chinese coronavirus disinformation before publishing the final version.