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China’s President Xi Jinping has declined an initial invitation to visit Brussels for a summit to mark the 50th anniversary of ties, as the EU questions the sincerity of recent Chinese overtures.
Beijing told EU officials that China’s second-ranked leader Premier Li Qiang would meet the presidents of the European Council and Commission in Brussels for the summit rather than Xi, two people familiar with the matter said.
The hosting of EU-China summits traditionally alternates between Brussels and Beijing. The premier usually attends the summit in Brussels, and Xi hosts it in Beijing, but the EU believes the importance of this meeting — to commemorate half a century of diplomatic relations — means that China’s president should attend, the people said.
Both sides said talks continued, but the initial snub has confirmed the view among many in Brussels that China will not add concrete action to its warm words about the need to co-operate in the face of US President Donald Trump’s assault on the multilateral world order.
This year’s summit comes at a particularly sensitive time for EU-China relations.
Tensions between Brussels and Beijing have grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the EU accusing China of backing the Kremlin. The bloc has also imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, claiming they are subsidised.
EU officials say China, which last year had a €304.5bn trade deficit with the bloc, is not doing enough to rebalance trade by reducing subsidies for its industries and lowering trade barriers for foreign companies doing business in the world’s second-largest economy.
“The relationship is on ice,” said a senior EU diplomat. “It is a change of tone not substance. Their policy is not going to change and the same is true for us.”
Lu Shaye, China’s former outspoken ambassador to France who is now Beijing’s special representative for European affairs, said China’s policy towards Europe had always “advocated peace, friendship, co-operation,and mutual benefit”.
“This has never changed. It is just that the contrast with the current US policy towards Europe makes China’s policy towards Europe appear even more visionary, fair and reasonable. I hope this could serve as a wake-up call [for Europe],” he said.
Known as a “wolf warrior” diplomat for his aggressive diplomacy, Lu caused an uproar in Europe last year when he questioned whether Crimea was part of Ukraine and the sovereignty of former Soviet republics such as EU members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
His appointment to manage China’s diplomatic relationship with Europe was seen by some commentators as a hardening of Beijing’s stance, but at the same time, another EU diplomat said, “there is a Chinese charm offensive under way”.
“China even said that they expect Europe to have a seat at the negotiating table [in Ukraine peace talks],” the diplomat added. “I also hear less talk about EU-China trade frictions. They still exist, but there is less focus on it.”
The EU’s trade chief Maroš Šefčovič is set to visit China at the end of this month. Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares told the Financial Times last month that the EU should also see potential opportunities. When China “can be a partner — let’s take advantage of that”, Albares said.
Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, said in February that while the EU would keep “de-risking” by protecting its industry, “we can find agreements that could even expand our trade and investment ties”.
Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium have forced the EU to respond, even as industry groups warn of the damage it will cause. But a senior EU official said a critical focus when it came to China was defensive measures to keep out “a wave” of Chinese products displaced from the US market by the tariffs.
On Friday the EU opened an anti-dumping investigation against Chinese exports of adipic acid, used to produce nylon and many other products. It is the 11th case since October, including those regarding sweetcorn, metal screws and candles.
“Informal discussions are ongoing both about setting the date for the EU China summit this year and the level of representation,” said an EU official.
China’s ministry of foreign affairs said it did not have “any information to provide” regarding the matter.