PARIS, April 24. /TASS/. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell urged Europe to play a role in thwarting a confrontation between the United States and China.

In an interview with Le Monde, published on Monday, Borrell said, "The global system is in danger of fragmentation, of splitting into large blocks, one around the United States, the other around China. In other words, the creation of two different, disconnected technological ecosystems, and the potential danger that this could degenerate into conflict. It is also the role of Europe to avoid such a confrontation. Whatever one may think of China, the country cannot be ignored on major global issues such as climate change or the indebtedness of poor countries."

According to the EU’s diplomacy chief, China was "obviously also an economic competitor," just like the United States and other major countries.

What Borrell said was "technological rivalry" with China and the EU’s dependence on the country was the most important issue. "That is what we need to discus," he said, referring to an EU foreign ministers meeting scheduled to take place in Luxembourg later today.

Commenting on Taiwan, he said the EU’s "position has not changed," as the bloc was still for the status quo on that.