According to the head of European diplomacy, Beijing needs to make it clear that Russian support in any form negatively affects the country's relations with the European Union. At the same time, she emphasized that Brussels' ability to put pressure on China is limited. “The PRC is acting very smart by strengthening its geopolitical influence,” Kallas said, adding that the European Union could “pay the price” if it starts cracking down on Beijing and imposing sanctions against it. The head of European diplomacy called on allies to confront China, noting that Beijing's actions also affect the US, UK, Australia, Japan and other countries. “The problem is we don't get our act together,” she concluded. In recent weeks, “the European Union has realized how vulnerable its companies are” after Beijing restricted supplies of rare earth metals. The 19th EU sanctions package against Russia includes 12 companies from China.
