Chinese President Xi Jinping and top EU officials, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, met in Beijing for the 25th EU-China Summit.
The meeting marks 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two entities, but relations have been strained due to trade disagreements and China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Xi emphasized the need for “correct strategic choices” in the face of global challenges, stating, “The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China.”
During the summit, von der Leyen focused on trade imbalances, telling Xi that “as cooperation has deepened, so have imbalances”. She urged China to “come forward with real solutions” to address the EU’s trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($360bn) last year. Xi responded by urging the EU to “adhere to open cooperation and properly handle differences and frictions”. He added that “improving competitiveness cannot rely on ‘building walls and fortresses'”. “Decoupling and breaking chains will only result in isolation,” Xi said.
The EU has expressed concerns about China’s deepening relations with Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Costa urged China to “use its influence” to help end Russia’s “war of aggression”. The EU has adopted a new package of sanctions on Russia, including targeting two Chinese banks. In response, China’s commerce minister issued “solemn representations” to his EU counterpart.
Despite the tensions, the EU and China signed a joint statement on climate change and carbon emissions. According to the statement, both sides agreed to uphold the goals of the Paris Agreement and enhance “bilateral cooperation” in areas such as “energy transition, adaptation, methane emissions management and control, carbon markets and green and low-carbon technologies”.
The summit comes at a time of global uncertainty, with the US and China engaged in trade negotiations. The EU is also negotiating a trade deal with the US, which could have implications for its relations with China. Gunnar Wiegand, a former managing director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service, noted that Europe’s economic relationship with the US is stronger than that with China. “With Russia’s war in Ukraine threatening Europe, Brussels will not be pushed closer to Beijing,” he said.