Wang Yi Holds Calls With French, Latvian Ministers

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held two separate phone calls on September 14 with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze, in a day of diplomacy that paired strategic messages for Europe with an urgent humanitarian appeal over a cross-border disaster. Both calls were held at the other side’s request, according to Xinhua, China’s state news agency.

The two conversations drew on very different agendas. The call with France touched on the one-China principle, Taiwan, and widening China-EU trade friction amid French and European pressure on Chinese goods. The call with Latvia centered on the mudslide disaster that swept through the Himalayan border zone between Nepal and China’s Tibet region in late August, where 33 Latvian citizens are among those missing.

Taiwan and Trade Dominate France Call

Speaking with Barrot, Wang said the one-China principle is “the political foundation of the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership,” and asked France to uphold it with concrete actions, to refrain from any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, and not to send what Xinhua translated as “wrong signals” to forces seeking Taiwan independence.

On China-EU relations, Wang pressed the case for partnership over protectionism. According to Xinhua, he argued that protectionism cannot enhance Europe’s competitiveness but instead deprives consumers of high-quality, affordable goods, drives up inflation, and drags down the green transition. He described China as one of the world’s largest markets whose development represents an opportunity, not a challenge, for the EU, and urged France to encourage a more pragmatic European approach.

Barrot, for his part, affirmed that France “firmly upholds the one-China policy,” per the readout. He framed France-China ties through the “Dujiangyan spirit” of exchange and mutual accommodation, referencing the ancient irrigation system’s principle of channeling rather than blocking, and acknowledged that EU-China economic and trade relations are “currently experiencing difficulties,” expressing willingness to push for solutions through constructive exchange.

The two also exchanged views on the Iran situation and the Ukraine crisis. Wang referenced President Xi Jinping’s four-point initiative for building a new architecture for Middle East security, which Xinhua describes as covering regional common security, comprehensive governance, the development foundation, and international coordination.

Latvia Call Focuses on Missing Citizens

The second call addressed the humanitarian fallout from the August 26 disaster. An ice-rock avalanche on the Nepal side of the Langtang range triggered a catastrophic debris flow that struck Gyirong Port in Tibet’s Gyirong County and devastated northern Nepal, leaving major casualties and many missing across the border zone.

According to a separate Xinhua readout carried by the China Military Network, Braze noted that the two countries had just jointly marked the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and said 33 Latvian citizens had gone missing in the disaster in Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. She thanked China for its notifications, search and rescue work, and condolences to families of the missing, and said Latvia is willing to strengthen coordination with China to handle follow-up work.

Wang said Latvia is “the European country with the highest number of missing persons” in the disaster and again expressed sincere condolences, especially to the families. He said China treats Chinese and foreign personnel equally, and will do its utmost to continue searching for Latvian and other foreign missing persons while properly handling follow-up arrangements.

Earlier reports confirmed the scope of the foreign casualties. The Guardian reported that Chinese authorities tallied 16 deaths and 546 missing, of whom 261 were foreign nationals, including 104 from Nepal, 49 from India, 33 from Latvia, 18 from the US, and 15 British citizens. Latvian Public Media cited consular director Edite Medne confirming that China had officially confirmed the 33 Latvians were in Tibet at the time and had not crossed back into Nepal, and that China had requested DNA samples from close relatives for comparison. Latvia’s Justice Ministry met with relatives on legal matters, and a Latvian consular representative worked to recover belongings left in hotels.

A Wider Context of Engagement

Wang used both calls to place bilateral ties within broader themes. With France, he stressed the shared responsibility of two permanent UN Security Council members to strengthen strategic communication, and expressed China’s support for France’s September presidency of the Council. With Latvia, he noted that China was among the first countries to recognize Latvia’s renewed independence and pointed to China’s unilateral visa-free policy as a sign of trust that has made people-to-people exchanges more frequent.

The day’s diplomacy reflects China’s continued effort to manage relations with European states along two tracks: sharp strategic messaging on Taiwan and trade with a major EU power, and quieter humanitarian and partnership cooperation with a smaller EU and NATO member that is directly affected by the disaster.

What to Watch

With France holding the Security Council presidency this month, the tone set by Wang on Taiwan and trade is likely to be tested in the weeks ahead as EU capitals weigh new trade defense measures. For Latvia and other nations with missing citizens, the immediate focus remains the search and identification effort in Tibet’s Gyirong County, where geography, weather, and border access continue to complicate recovery. The 35th-anniversary framing that both sides invoked may prove the more enduring strand of the relationship, even as the disaster hangs over it.