Austria's Meinl-Reisinger Welcomes Chinese Counterpart with Focus on Geopolitics and Trade
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Vienna to deepen bilateral relations and discuss global challenges. The meeting, which was also documented by media representatives, underscores the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger welcomed her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to Vienna. / Picture: © BMEIA Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äußeres / Michael Gruber / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
A diplomatic offensive by China in Europe led to a high-level meeting in Vienna, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with both Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger. The talks focused on deepening bilateral relations, economic cooperation, global challenges, and the role of both countries in preserving multilateralism.
Meeting with President Van der Bellen: Commitment to multilateralism
President Van der Bellen welcomed Wang Yi and underscored China's importance as a key partner in Asia. He emphasized that Austria wanted to work with China to strengthen multilateralism and promote world peace and global development. In doing so, he highlighted the One China policy as an unshakeable principle of Austrian foreign policy.
In view of the upcoming 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, the President announced his intention to deepen exchange and cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, investment, green development, tourism, and culture. Wang Yi emphasized the long-standing stability of relations and praised the new Austrian government's consistent China policy. He suggested using the anniversary as an opportunity to expand cooperation, particularly in the green economy.
Talks with Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger: Focus on economy and peace
Parallel to his meeting with the Federal President, Wang Yi also held talks with Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Both sides reaffirmed their goal of taking bilateral relations to a new level. Meinl-Reisinger emphasized China's importance as Austria's fourth-largest trading partner and highlighted the need for fair conditions and legal certainty for the approximately 650 Austrian companies operating in China.
A key topic of the talks was the situation in Ukraine. While Meinl-Reisinger highlighted China's central role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and called on her Chinese counterpart to exert his influence on Russia, Wang Yi praised Austria's active role in promoting a peaceful solution. He expressed his hope that Austria would play a constructive role in shaping a rational and pragmatic Europe-China policy.
Meinl-Reisinger appealed to China to exert its influence on Russia to bring about peace in Ukraine. She emphasized that Austria was available as a venue for negotiations. During his stay in Vienna, Wang Yi met not only with his counterpart, but also with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen to further strengthen bilateral relations and reaffirm cooperation in upholding multilateralism, peace, and development.
The two sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to taking bilateral relations to a new level. Austria reaffirmed its unchanged position on the “One China Policy.”
Historical and cultural dimensions of the partnership
Both sides also addressed the historical dimension of the relationship. Wang Yi recalled the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and emphasized China's historical contributions to the global fight against fascism. He stressed that Taiwan's return to China was part of the post-war order and that any attempt to divide the country was doomed to failure.
Meinl-Reisinger, in turn, thanked China for the support given to Austrian Jews during World War II and underlined the need to honor this shared history. The Austrian-Chinese panda project was cited as a current symbol of friendship, symbolizing the deep bond between the two peoples. In addition, both ministers spoke out in favor of promoting tourism.
International initiatives and global challenges
The talks highlighted the importance of the global governance initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Wang Yi, this initiative aims to uphold multilateralism and the international order based on international law. Meinl-Reisinger also supported this initiative and spoke out in favor of open, rules-based, and equitable free trade, while reaffirming the authority of the United Nations and multilateralism.
Finally, the two ministers exchanged views on other issues of global relevance, including climate change and the situation in the Middle East. The meetings in Vienna underscore China's desire to strengthen its relations with Europe and position Austria as an important partner within the European Union.