The erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and other issues of China were concerns that the European Union and the United States would continue to share and coordinate on, as both sides reaffirmed their transatlantic ties in a top-level summit on Tuesday.

China was named at least three times in a joint statement issued after talks in Belgium between U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“We intend to continue coordinating on our shared concerns, including ongoing human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet; the erosion of autonomy and democratic processes in Hong Kong; economic coercion; disinformation campaigns; and regional security issues,” said the statement, released on the White House website.

The statement also spoke of the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encouraged the peaceful resolution of issues in the area. This was consistent with the position expressed in a joint communique released on Sunday at the end of a summit of G7 member states and the EU in Cornwall, Britain.

In their Brussels meeting, Von der Leyen and Biden renewed their commitment to the transatlantic partnership. They discussed strengthening cooperation on matters including the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis, and technological innovation and trade, and agreed to work together to build a more democratic, peaceful and secure world.

In light of the pandemic, the U.S. and EU pledged to cooperate to reform the World Health Organization. “We call for progress on a transparent, evidence-based and expert-led WHO-convened phase 2 study on the origins of COVID-19 that is free from interference,” the joint statement said.

On regional security, the two sides said they remained seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China seas and strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions.

They highlighted the critical importance of respecting international law, including the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of states, the freedom of navigation and overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the sea.

China’s record on human rights was the main issue that divided the country from the EU and made it a systemic rival of the bloc, von der Leyen said at a media conference held after the talks.

“We are strong economic competitors, without any questions, and for that we need tools,” she said. “We need tools for security within the digital market — for example the 5G toolbox — but also foreign direct investment, investment screening … to ensure that there is a level playing field.”

Separately, a resolution regarding human rights in China’s Xinjiang region was put to the parliament in Brussels on Tuesday. The resolution, written by Belgian lawmaker Samuel Cogolati, warned of a “serious risk of genocide” against the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang. Cogolati was in March placed under sanctions imposed by Beijing.

The parliament’s foreign relations committee approved the motion, which would be presented for confirmation at a plenary session on July 1.

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