The European Parliament has overwhelmingly voted to stop the legislative process ratifying the landmark China-European Union Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), Axios reported Friday.
Thursday's resolution was passed with 599 votes in favor of the halt and 30 opposing it. Some 58 abstained.
The latest development is a major blow to the EU-China investment deal that European leaders reached during a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping less than five months ago.
"CAI is definitely in the freezer. China miscalculated and shot themselves in the foot," Politico quoted Reinhard Bütikofer, chair of the Parliament's delegation for relations with China, as saying in a tweet.
The resolution was a response to retaliatory measures by Beijing against dozens of MEPs, envoys, academics and think tanks after the EU implemented sanctions against Chinese diplomats over claims of mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
MEPs called on the Chinese government to affirm and carry out several conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), including those related to forced labor, freedom of association and the right to organise.
According to Euro News, the CAI's primary objective is to increase market access and ensure fair treatment for EU investors and companies doing business in China. The resolution was the first human rights sanctions imposed by Europe against China since the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, EN said.
Despite the tensions, the vote does not totally terminate the investment agreement and the motion contained conditions for the potential resumptions of the market access pact.
While EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis "takes note of" the latest vote, she said Brussels "continues to think that CAI would bring benefits to Europe," Politico said.
