The latest news on China and Europe. A summit between the European Union and China began today, Thursday, 24 July, in the country's capital, Beijing. The European delegation led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived with little expectation of reaching common ground on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the question of tariffs imposed on everyone by the Trump administration in the United States.
"We have very frankly and openly expressed our concerns... on trade, investment and geopolitical issues.... We have partially identified solutions," von der Leyen told the news conference after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Information reported by Reuters.
However, it appears that such common ground has been less than both sides would have liked. Xi earlier told von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa that the challenges facing Europe do not stem from China, urging the bloc to "properly manage differences and frictions" and "make the right decisions".
The two sides also issued a joint statement on climate, reiterating their commitment to new climate action plans across the economic sphere. European delegates called on China to mediate for a peaceful and just solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, on which no information or results have been forthcoming.
The most important friction is the European Commission's recent negotiation with the US government to reach an agreement on a common tariff of 15 per cent (and not 30 per cent, as Trump threatened). This is seen by Chinese leaders as a diplomatic failure for Europe.
"The EU has continued to negotiate with the US, which means there is currently a lack of momentum for EU-China relations to grow closer," said Cui Hongjian, professor of foreign policy at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Due to the tension between the two sides, the summit has been shortened to a single day instead of the planned two.