China Rebukes EU’s Kaja Kallas Over WWII Narrative, Accuses Her of Ideological Bias and Historical Distortion.
China’s foreign ministry has launched a sharp rebuttal to a string of comments made by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, accusing the European official of distorting history and pitting the bloc against Beijing. In a statement released in early September, ministry spokespeople said Kallas’s remarks were “steeped in ideological bias, devoid of basic historical knowledge and openly stoking confrontation.” The ministry added that such “extremely wrong and irresponsible” statements not only insult the memory of World War II but also damage the EU’s own interests.
9 September 2025
Kallas’s comments, delivered during a series of public appearances in the summer, painted China as a member of an “authoritarian coalition” alongside Russia, Iran and North Korea that allegedly seeks to undermine the West and reshape the international order. She further asserted that the victory over fascism in the 20th century was the result of “the solitary effort of Western allies,” marginalising the massive sacrifices made by the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. The most contentious point, however, was her questioning of the significance of China’s commemorations of the 80th anniversary of its victory over Japanese aggression in 1945.
The Chinese ministry’s response was swift. Spokesperson Wang Wei told reporters that Kallas’s narrative “flips facts on their head” and “fails to respect the historical truth of the anti‑fascist struggle”. He warned that spreading such a “biased” view would only deepen mistrust between Europe and China, a relationship the two sides have been trying to stabilise even as they navigate divergent positions on Ukraine, the South China Sea and the Middle East.
The friction erupted against a backdrop of heightened EU‑China dialogue. On June 1, 2025, Kallas had spoken about the need for increased defence spending among EU members, echoing a U.S. call for NATO allies to lift their defence budgets to 5 percent of GDP. A month later, on July 9, 2025, she travelled to Brussels for the 13th China‑EU High‑Level Strategic Dialogue, a meeting marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two powers and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. The summit, which featured a face‑to‑face with China’s foreign minister, was described by both sides as “constructive”, yet it also revealed deep‑seated divisions over issues such as the war in Ukraine and Beijing’s growing partnership with Moscow.
Earlier, in an episode that appears to have set the stage for the September clash, the Chinese mission in Brussels issued a formal refutation of Kallas’s statements on September 4 and again on September 5 of an unspecified year, labeling the remarks “problematic” and insisting that China’s foreign relations are not a tool for targeting third parties. The repeated diplomatic notes underscored a pattern: Beijing is prepared to push back vigorously when it perceives European commentary as overstepping the line of legitimate critique.
Analysts see Kallas’s remarks as reflecting a broader ambivalence within the EU over how to engage China. While some member states push for a tougher stance on Beijing’s ties with Russia and its human‑rights record, others worry that confrontation could jeopardise trade and the delicate balance of global supply chains. The Chinese foreign ministry’s denunciation, they argue, signals that Beijing will not tolerate what it sees as historical revisionism or political scapegoating, even from the EU’s senior diplomat.
The episode has quickly become a talking point across diplomatic circles, illustrating the volatile mix of history, ideology and geopolitics that now shapes China‑EU relations. As the two sides continue to navigate a world where the legacy of World War II remains a potent moral reference point, the dispute over Kallas’s statements serves as a reminder that the battle for narrative credibility is as fiercely contested as any trade or security negotiation.
