The EU's chief diplomat says he has assured China's foreign minister that the bloc does not want a "cold war", as it accused Beijing of waging a coronavirus disinformation campaign.
Brussels says China and Russia have sought to undermine European democracy and burnish their own reputations during the pandemic with "targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns".
The unusually blunt accusation came in an official EU strategy paper for tackling what officials say is a "flood" of false healthcare claims, conspiracy theories, fraud and hate speech surrounding the pandemic.
The report published today came a day after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held video talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.