BEIJING (TIP): Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the EU must deepen trust in a turbulent world but the bloc’s chiefs called for “real solutions” to move past an inflection point as they met in Beijing on Thursday. China’s leadership has sought to draw the European Union closer as it positions itself as a more reliable partner than the United States and a bedrock of stability in a troubled world. But the EU has made clear there are deep divisions over trade, fears that cheap, subsidised Chinese goods could overwhelm European markets and Beijing’s tacit support for Russia‘s war against Ukraine.
Though nominally intended to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties, the long list of grievances set the stage for a contentious summit.
Welcoming EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Antonio Costa at Beijing’s ornate Great Hall of the People, Xi said “the more severe and complex the international situation is, the more important it is for China and the EU to strengthen communication, increase mutual trust and deepen cooperation.”
In the context of that turmoil, Xi said, Chinese and European leaders must “make correct strategic choices.” “The challenges facing Europe at present do not come from China. There are no fundamental conflicts of interest or geopolitical contradictions between China and the EU,” the Chinese leader said. In response, von der Leyen said “it is vital for China and Europe to acknowledge our respective concerns and come forward with real solutions.” Ties had reached an “inflection point”, she warned.
Costa also stressed to the Chinese leader that the bloc wanted to see “concrete progress on issues related to trade and the economy, and we both want our relationship to be… mutually beneficial.”
In a separate meeting on Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told the two EU leaders that “close cooperation” was a “natural choice” for the two major economies. “As long as both China and the EU earnestly uphold free trade, the international economy and trade will stay dynamic”, he said.
Brussels had acknowledged the talks between its top bosses and Chinese leaders would be tense. “We know that we don’t see eye to eye with China on many issues,” a senior EU official told AFP last week.
“But we believe that it is essential to have this kind of very direct and open and constructive conversation sitting at the table at the highest level.”
Top of the agenda for the EU is the yawning trade deficit with China that stood at around $360 billion last year and which von der Leyen has described as “unsustainable.” (AFP)