Brussels, 30 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a realignment in relations with China on Thursday but stressed not engaging with Beijing is "neither viable - nor in Europe's interest."

However, how China continues to interact with the Russian invasion of Ukraine "will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward," von der Leyen said in a speech in Brussels.

Von der Leyen was speaking ahead of her first visit to Beijing next week with French President Emmanuel Macron. The European Union's stance on China has come under close scrutiny from the United States.

The bloc's traditional economic balancing act with Beijing is under strain against the background of the Ukraine war and rising US-China tensions.

Managing relationships with China is important for the bloc's future economic prosperity, von der Leyen said, and praised Beijing's cooperation to boost biodiversity and combat climate change.

However, von der Leyen criticized China's "increasingly assertive actions" on the world stage and slammed Chinese President Xi Jinping for his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Von der Leyen noted the power balance between China and Russia had shifted against the Kremlin. She also dismissed China's recently published peace plan as only consolidating Russian territorial gains in Ukraine.

Von der Leyen called to reassess an EU-China investment agreement, on ice after Beijing sanctioned EU lawmakers in a tit-for-tat response to EU sanctions for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The commission president laid the ground for a new instrument to restrict exports to China of sensitive technologies over security and human rights concerns.