EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, kicking off a tense summit likely to be dominated by trade frictions and Ukraine.
Both European leaders will raise issues including the trade imbalance, market access and rare earths during meetings with Xi and Premier Li Qiang.
Shortly before the summit, Von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone, writing that it was an opportunity to “advance and rebalance our relationship” in an X post on Thursday morning.
“I'm convinced there can be a mutually beneficial co-operation,” Von der Leyen wrote. The weeks leading up to the summit were dominated by tit-for-tat trade disputes and hawkish rhetoric from European officials.
State news agency Xinhua also appeared to downplay Beijing's rivalry with the 27-member bloc in a morning commentary, saying China is a “critical partner” to Europe with a range of shared interests. “As the international landscape grows increasingly fraught, the anniversary offers a timely reminder: China is a critical partner to Europe, not a systemic rival,” Xinhua wrote, pointing out common interests including trade, climate and global governance.
“These areas of common ground should not be eclipsed by isolated points of friction,” it said. The EU defines China as a “partner, competitor and systemic rival”, which frames its strategic approach to China policy. Other issues, including electric vehicles and Chinese industrial overcapacity, will also be raised by European leaders at the summit marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the EU and China.
Expectations for the summit are low after weeks of escalating tensions and wrangling over the format, which was abruptly shortened from two days to one at Beijing's request.
“Like all major economic players, China and the EU do not agree on everything. But disagreement does not equal confrontation,” Xinhua said, adding the relationship needs more trust. The EU is likely to seal a trade deal with the US that would result in a broad 15% tariff on EU exports to the US after intense negotiations, avoiding a harsher 30% levy threatened by US President Donald Trump.
Reuters
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