Latest news with #AntónioCosta
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Europe and China agree to take action on climate change and nothing else in tense Beijing summit
Left to right, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas walk at the Great Hall of the People before the European Union-China Summit in Beijing, China, July 24, 2025. (Pool Photo via AP) BEIJING--China and the European Union have issued a joint call to action on climate change during an otherwise tense bilateral summit in Beijing on Thursday riven with major disagreements over trade and the war in Ukraine. The two economic juggernauts issued a joint statement on climate change, urging more emission cuts and greater use of green technology and affirming their support for the Paris Climate Agreement as well as calling for strong action at the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil. 'In the fluid and turbulent international situation today, it is crucial that all countries, notably the major economies, maintain policy continuity and stability and step up efforts to address climate change,' the joint statement said. Their climate agreement was a silver lining on a stormy day where European leaders demanded a more balanced relationship with China in talks with President Xi Jinping. They highlighted trade in their opening remarks, calling for concrete progress to address Europe's yawning trade deficit with China. 'As our cooperation has deepened, so have the imbalances,' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. 'We have reached an inflection point. Rebalancing our bilateral relation is essential. Because to be sustainable, relations need to be mutually beneficial.' Expectations were low ahead of the talks, initially supposed to last two days but scaled back to one. They come amid financial uncertainty around the world, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the threat of U.S. tariffs. Neither the EU nor China is likely to budge on key issues. European Council President António Costa called on China to use its influence over Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine — a long-running plea from European leaders that is likely to fall again on deaf ears. Xi called for deeper cooperation between China and Europe to provide stability in an increasingly complex world. Both sides should set aside differences and seek common ground, he said, a phrase he often uses in relationships like the one with the EU. China is willing to strengthen coordination on climate and make greater contributions to addressing climate change, he said, but he pushed back against EU restrictions on Chinese exports. 'We hope the EU will keep its trade and investment markets open, refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools and provide a good business environment for Chinese companies to invest and develop in Europe,' he said, according to a readout posted online by state broadcaster CCTV. Besides trade and the Ukraine war, von der Leyen and Costa were expected to raise concerns about Chinese cyberattacks and espionage, its restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals and its human rights record in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. The EU, meanwhile, has concerns about a looming trade battle with the United States. 'Europe is being very careful not to antagonize President Trump even further by looking maybe too close to China, so all of that doesn't make this summit easier,' said Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist of the European Policy Center. 'It will be very hard to achieve something concrete.' China's stance has hardened on the EU, despite a few olive branches, like the suspension of sanctions on European lawmakers who criticized Beijing's human rights record in Xinjiang province, where it is accused of a widespread campaign of repression against the Uyghurs. The summit ended with almost no movement on the major issues of trade, electric vehicles, or Russia, said Noah Barkin, an analyst at the Rhodium Group think tank. Rather, frustration from the EU was glaringly obvious 'after years in which its concerns have been largely ignored by Beijing.' He said the Europeans will likely use more 'trade defense tools in the months ahead, including a debate over expanding safeguards and new cases under the bloc's foreign subsidies regulation.' Like the U.S., the 27-nation EU bloc runs a massive trade deficit with China — around 300 billion euros ($350 billion) last year. It relies heavily on China for critical minerals and the magnets made from them for cars and appliances. When China curtailed the export of those products in response to Trump's tariffs, European automakers cried foul. China agreed during the summit to start 'an upgraded export supply mechanism' to fast-track exports of critical minerals, von der Leyen said. Details of the arrangement were not immediately made public. Barkin said he doubted the mechanism would be 'a miracle solution for what may become a go-to coercion tool for Beijing in the years ahead.' The EU has imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to support its carmakers by balancing out Beijing's heavy auto subsidies. China would like those tariffs revoked. The rapid growth in China's market share in Europe has sparked concern that Chinese cars will eventually threaten the EU's ability to produce its own green technology to combat climate change. Business groups and unions also fear that the jobs of 2.5 million auto industry workers could be put in jeopardy, as well those of 10.3 million more people whose employment depends indirectly on EV production. China has launched investigations into European pork and dairy products and placed tariffs on French cognac and armagnac. It has criticized new EU regulations of medical equipment sales and fears upcoming legislation that could further target Chinese industries, said Alicia García-Herrero, a China analyst at the Bruegel think tank. The EU has leverage because China needs to sell goods to the bloc, García-Herrero said. 'The EU remains China's largest export market, so China has every intention to keep it this way, especially given the pressure coming from the U.S.,' she said. China bristles at EU sanctions over Russia's war against Ukraine. The latest package included two Chinese banks that the EU accused of links to Russia's war industry. China's Commerce Ministry protested the listing and vowed to respond with 'necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and financial institutions.' Buffeted between a combative Washington and a hardline Beijing, the EU has more publicly sought new alliances elsewhere, inking a trade pact with Indonesia and drafting trade deals with South America and Mexico. Costa and von der Leyen visited Tokyo the day before their meetings in Beijing, launching an alliance with Japan to boost economic cooperation, defend free trade and counter unfair trade practices. 'Both Europe and Japan see a world around us where protectionist instincts grow, weaknesses get weaponized, and every dependency exploited,' von der Leyen said. So it is normal that two like-minded partners come together to make each other stronger.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU press for more balanced relationship at scaled-back EU-China summit in Beijing
European leaders were pushing for rebalancing trade at the EU-China summit with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Focusing their opening remarks on trade, they called for concrete progress to address Europe's yawning trade deficit with China. "As our cooperation has deepened, so have the imbalances," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "We have reached an inflection point. Rebalancing our bilateral relations is essential. Because to be sustainable, relations need to be mutually beneficial." Expectations were low for the talks, initially supposed to last two days but scaled back to one. They come amid financial uncertainty around the world, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the threat of US tariffs. Neither the EU nor China is likely to budge on key issues dividing the two economic juggernauts. European Council President António Costa called on China to use its influence over Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine — a long-running plea from European leaders that is likely to fall on deaf ears. He signalled a possible agreement on climate, saying he looks forward to "a strong joint political message" from the summit ahead of annual UN climate talks in November in Brazil. That could follow their talks with China's Premier Li Qiang later Thursday. Xi called on China and Europe to deepen cooperation and mutual trust to provide stability in an increasingly complex international environment, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported online. They should set aside differences and seek common ground, he said, a phrase he often uses in relationships like the one with the EU. Treading carefully not to get too close Besides the trade imbalance and the Ukraine war, Von der Leyen and Costa were expected to raise concerns about Chinese cyberattacks and espionage, its restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals and its human rights record in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. The EU, meanwhile, has concerns about a looming trade battle with the United States. "Europe is being very careful not to antagonise President Trump even further by looking maybe too close to China, so all of that doesn't make this summit easier," said Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist of the European Policy Centre. "It will be very hard to achieve something concrete." China's stance has hardened on the EU, despite a few olive branches, like the suspension of sanctions on European lawmakers who criticised Beijing's human rights record in Xinjiang, a region in northwestern China home to the Uyghurs. China believes it has successfully weathered the US tariffs storm because of its aggressive posture, said Noah Barkin, an analyst at the Rhodium Group think tank. Barkin said that Beijing's bold tactics that worked with Washington should work with other Western powers. "China has come away emboldened from its trade confrontation with Trump. That has reduced its appetite for making concessions to the EU," he said. "Now that Trump has backed down, China sees less of a need to woo Europe." China is the EU's second-largest trading partner in goods, after the United States, with about 30% of global trade flowing between them. Both China and the EU want to use their economies ties to stabilise the global economy, and they share some climate goals. But deep disagreements run through those overlapping interests. Division on trade China and the EU have multiple trade disputes across a range of industries, but no disagreement is as sharp as their enormous trade imbalance. Like the US, the 27-nation bloc runs a massive trade deficit with China — around €300 billion last year. It relies heavily on China for critical minerals, which are also used to make magnets for cars and appliances. When China curtailed the export of those minerals in the wake of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, European automakers cried foul. The EU has tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in order to support its own carmakers by balancing out Beijing's own heavy auto subsidies. China would like those tariffs to be revoked. The rapid growth in China's market share in Europe has sparked concern that Chinese cars will eventually threaten the EU's ability to produce its own green technology to combat climate change. Business groups and unions also fear that the jobs of 2.5 million auto industry workers could be put in jeopardy, as well as those of 10.3 million more people whose employment depends indirectly on EV production. China has also launched investigations into European pork and dairy products, and placed tariffs on French cognac and armagnac. They have criticised new EU regulations of medical equipment sales, and fear upcoming legislation that could further target Chinese industries, said Alicia García-Herrero, a China analyst at the Bruegel think tank. In June, the EU announced that Chinese medical equipment companies were to be excluded from any government purchases of more than €5 million (nearly $6 million). The measure seeks to incentivise China to cease its discrimination against EU firms, the bloc said, accusing China of erecting "significant and recurring legal and administrative barriers to its procurement market." European companies are largely seeing declining profitability in China. But the EU has leverage because China still needs to sell goods to the bloc, García-Herrero said. "The EU remains China's largest export market, so China has every intention to keep it this way, especially given the pressure coming from the U.S.," she said. It was unclear why the initial plan for the summit of two days was curtailed to just one in Beijing. War on Europe's doorstep The clear majority of Europeans favour increasing aid to Ukraine and more sanctions on Russia. The latest sanctions package on Russia also listed Chinese firms, including two large banks that the EU accused of being linked to Russia's war industry. China's commerce ministry said that it was "strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to" the listing and vowed to respond with "necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and financial institutions." Xi and Putin have had a close relationship, which is also reflected in the countries' ties. China has become a major customer for Russian oil and gas, and a source of key technologies following sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow. In May, Xi attended a Victory Day celebration alongside Putin in Moscow, but didn't attend a similar EU event in Brussels celebrating the end of World War II. Von der Leyen and Costa will press Xi and Li to slash their support of Russia, but with likely little effect. Beyond Beijing and Washington Buffeted between a combative Washington and a hard-line Beijing, the EU has more publicly sought new alliances elsewhere, inking a trade pact with Indonesia, heaping praise on Japan and drafting trade deals with South America and Mexico. "We also know that 87% of global trade is with other countries — many of them looking for stability and opportunity. That is why I am here for this visit to Japan to deepen our ties," Von der Leyen said in Tokyo during an EU-Japan summit on her way to Beijing. "Both Europe and Japan see a world around us where protectionist instincts grow, weaknesses get weaponised, and every dependency exploited. So it is normal that two like-minded partners come together to make each other stronger." Promoting ties with Europe is one third of Japan's new 2025 military doctrine, after sustaining defence links with the US and investing in capabilities at home like missiles, satellites, warships, and drones. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU, China mark 50 years of diplomatic ties
EU, China mark diplomatic milestone amid trade and geopolitical tensions European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing China is a 'critical partner' to Europe, Xinhua says Here are the latest updates from the EU-China summit on Thursday, July 24: EU-China relations deteriorate before Beijing summit Ties between the European Union and China hit rock bottom prior to the summit. Both sides have significant disagreements over trade, with the EU complaining over uneven access to the Chinese market for EU firms, China's chokehold on rare earth minerals, as well as industrial policies and huge subsidies favoring Chinese companies. After Chinese President Xi Jinping declined an invitation to attend, the talks were moved from Brussels to Beijing, and then reduced to one day from two. Read the full story about the current state of ties between China and the European Union. China is a 'critical partner' to Europe, Xinhua says China is a "critical partner" to the European Union with a range of shared interests, state news agency Xinhua said in a commentary piece on Thursday. It comes hours before a key EU-China summit to mark the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic partnership. "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. "Like all major economic players, China and the EU do not agree on everything. But disagreement does not equal confrontation," Xinhua said, adding that the relationship needs more trust. EU, China mark diplomatic milestone The European Union and China are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are in Beijing Thursday for the occasion and will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other top leaders. China and the EU are each other's second most important trading partners, but both sides quarrel over market access, industrial policies and Russia's war in Ukraine, among other issues. Brussels has pitched Thursday's talks as "a clear opportunity for detailed, frank, substantive actions around all aspects of our relationship." Beijing said this week ties with the bloc were at a "pivotal juncture" as both China and the EU contend with an aggressive US trade strategy under President Donald Trump. Welcome to our coverage Welcome to DW's coverage of the EU-China summit. The summit will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the EU and China. It comes as both Beijing and Brussels grapple with heightened geopolitical and economic tensions. Relations between the two sides have also been under stress due to trade frictions. Stay tuned for the latest updates from the summit.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
EU and Japan agree to work together to promote free trade and economic security
TOKYO (AP) — Leaders of the European Union and Japan launched an alliance Wednesday aimed at boosting economic cooperation, defending free trade and countering unfair trade practices as the two sides face growing challenges from the United States and China. The agreement followed a meeting among European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. It comes just as Tokyo and Washington reached a new trade deal, which places 15% tariffs on Japanese cars and other goods imported into the U.S., down from an initial 25%. The leaders agreed to launch 'competitiveness alliance' aimed at stepping up trade, economic security and cooperation in innovation, energy and other areas, according to a joint statement released by the EU. The leaders also supported 'a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order,' and reaffirmed the importance of Japan-EU cooperation to uphold multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, as well as with other multilateral cooperation efforts. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. The EU and Japan also agreed to strengthen defense industry cooperation and to start talks on an information security agreement. Japan and the EU have been stepping up their security and defense cooperation amid growing global tensions and conflicts, including Russia's war on Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and increasingly assertive China's military activity in Asia, recognizing that challenges in Europe and Indo-Pacific are inseparable.
7 days ago
- Business
EU and Japan agree to work together to promote free trade and economic security
TOKYO -- Leaders of the European Union and Japan launched an alliance Wednesday aimed at boosting economic cooperation, defending free trade and countering unfair trade practices as the two sides face growing challenges from the United States and China. The agreement followed a meeting among European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. It comes just as Tokyo and Washington reached a new trade deal, which places 15% tariffs on Japanese cars and other goods imported into the U.S., down from an initial 25%. The leaders agreed to launch 'competitiveness alliance" aimed at stepping up trade, economic security and cooperation in innovation, energy and other areas, according to a joint statement released by the EU. The leaders also supported 'a stable and predictable rules-based free and fair economic order,' and reaffirmed the importance of Japan-EU cooperation to uphold multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, as well as with other multilateral cooperation efforts. The EU and Japan also agreed to strengthen defense industry cooperation and to start talks on an information security agreement. Japan and the EU have been stepping up their security and defense cooperation amid growing global tensions and conflicts, including Russia's war on Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and increasingly assertive China's military activity in Asia, recognizing that challenges in Europe and Indo-Pacific are inseparable.
