The new EU leadership team (headed by Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel) had its first summit with the Chinese leadership (headed by Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang). The tone of the meeting has been described as ‘tough’ by the Eastasiaforum article [Tough Talking at the EU-China Summit]. Since the outset of the summit, there was little to no time for small talk. The two sides made no attempt to produce ‘a joint statement, let alone a joint press conference’. The meeting can be designated as tough, pragmatic and honest on both sides.
The EU side accepted that the EU-China relation ‘were crucial in many areas’ but simultaneously stated that ‘we have to recognise that we do not share the same values, political systems, or approach to multilateralism.’ Such statements stem from the 2019 EU policy document which recognized China as a ‘systemic rival’. The progress on trade talks with China has currently (including at the summit) been slow, as Europeans believe that their companies are getting a raw deal in China while Chinese companies are enjoying full access to the EU’s single market. The European leaders also complained about Chinese Covid-19 (dis)information strategy and the new national security law on Hong Kong among other things. Europeans (including a German official quoted in the article) believe or hope that China doesn’t want to open a new major fight with the EU while it is in the middle of a fight with the US.
The Chinese side offered no concessions. The post-summit commentary emphasized areas of cooperation including the following areas in which China and the EU see eye to eye: cooperation regarding Covid-19, global recovery plan, Iran, Afghanistan, Korean peninsula, and making the global recovery sustainable [China’s Infrastructure Investment & Environmental Sustainability].
M. Forough
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