The 24th EU-China summit begins in Beijing

The 24th EU-China summit begins today in Beijing, China. The annual summit will be held in-person for the first time since 2019.

President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, along with High Representative Josep Borrell, will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in two separate sessions. Besides trade and economic growth, topics to be discussed include climate change, food security, and pandemic preparedness.

Since the last summit, held in April 2022 and mostly focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EU-China ties have been relatively tense. Disagreements emerged over global security and trade. China’s economic cooperation with Russia and the increasing exports of dual-use goods are particularly bothersome to European leaders. They should also be expected to raise questions about long-running concerns such as China’s trade practices and its human rights record.

Nevertheless, in the past months, China has shown a willingness to re-engage with Western partners, such as the US, Japan, and South Korea. Expect EU leaders to seek common ground with China on issues such as climate change, global health, and trade, though given the rocky ties, expectations for any meaningful policy solutions are low.