Xi meets EU chiefs at downsized summit hit by trade, Ukraine
Tensions spanning trade to the war in Ukraine are casting a pall over an event that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties.
The meeting has been cut short from two days to one at Beijing's request, Bloomberg News has reported, with the venue changed from Brussels to the Chinese capital after Xi refused to travel to Europe for the talks.
The Chinese leader met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
The meeting follows the EU's summit with Japan held in Tokyo on Wednesday.
In his opening remarks, Xi said China and the EU should enhance their cooperation, urging them to strengthen trust and communication amid global uncertainty, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
While there are no plans to issue a joint communique, the EU intends to release a statement listing the main messages it delivered, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The two sides are also preparing a landmark declaration on climate cooperation.
Top officials will sign the document in Beijing on Thursday, according to people familiar with the plans, likely committing both parties to further emissions cuts and to deliver their climate plans to the United Nations before the COP30 summit in Brazil later this year.
The tensions on display this week contrast with hope at the height of the trade war unleashed by Donald Trump for China to repair ties with the EU.
Back then, Beijing appeared to be positioning itself as a more reliable partner as Trump alienated the bloc. Now, deep disagreements are once again marring the relationship.
The strains flared into view in April with Beijing's decision to impose export controls on rare earth magnets, which shook European car companies and other sectors.
Brussels also takes issue with what it considers as Beijing's support for Moscow. The EU on Friday sanctioned two Chinese banks and five China-based companies as part of its latest measures against Russia.
Trade ties are another source of frustration. The Asian nation's goods trade surplus reached almost US$143 billion in the first half of this year, a record for any six-month period, according to data released last week.
The EU inflamed trade tensions when it imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles last year in a bid to ward off a flood of cheap imports. In response, China launched anti-dumping probes into European brandy, dairy and pork.
"I don't think that any of us are too optimistic in terms of any sort of grand agreement being reached - and I don't think that this is really what we should aspire to,' Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said on Bloomberg TV on Thursday.
The 50th anniversary of ties offers an opportunity to ask how to "ensure that we have a relationship going forward that continues to deliver benefits from both sides,' he said.
"And what we are seeing right now is this increase in trade tension and this perception in particular in Europe, that the benefits of the relationship are no longer being distributed in an equitable manner.' - Bloomberg
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