Beijing (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged senior leaders of the European Union to “properly manage differences and frictions,” as he condemned the EU’s recent trade restrictions against China during a tense summit that highlighted trade issues but was important to the Ukraine conflict.
To celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations, a number of significant events are happening this week in Beijing, where Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, are making a visit to Beijing.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
How did Xi Jinping respond to EU trade concerns?
“The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China,”
Xi told both visiting European officials.
He insisted that the European Union
“adhere to open cooperation and properly handle differences and frictions”,
After von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade relations with the world’s second-largest economy, expressing ties were at an “inflection point”.
“Improving competitiveness cannot rely on ‘building walls and fortresses’,
Xi added, according to Xinhua.
“‘Decoupling and breaking chains’ will only result in isolation.”
“It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools,”
Xi stated.
What solutions did von der Leyen propose to China?
The two presidents, Antonio Costa, the President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, as part of a more direct approach, asked the Chinese leader to discuss the growing trade deficit that the two large economies have.
During the session in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, von der Leyen conveyed to Xi,
“As our cooperation has deepened, so have imbalances. We have reached an inflection point,”
She added, insisting China
“come forward with real solutions”.
She was talking about the EU’s trade deficit with China, which soared to a record 305.8 billion euros ($360 billion) last year. On Thursday, von der Leyen posted on X with a more conciliatory tone, calling the summit an opportunity to
“both advance and rebalance our relationship.”
What happened at the last summit in 2023?
The most recent summit between the EU and China took place in Beijing in December of 2023. The parties did not demonstrate meaningful progress in narrowing their differences on a range of subjects as broad as trade deficits, access to markets, industrial overcapacity, human rights, and geopolitical tensions with China’s support for Russia over Ukraine.
The last summit brought EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, together with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Even the EU’s anti-subsidy probe of electric vehicles, trade deficits, and climate policy faced various issues, with only marginal results being achieved.
