Beijing — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa arrived in China this week with high diplomatic stakes but low expectations. What was originally scheduled to be a two-day EU-China summit abruptly condensed into a terse, single-day engagement, underscoring the deepening mistrust between Brussels and Beijing as both sides grow increasingly wary of each other’s economic and geopolitical trajectories.
At the heart of the discord lies a staggering €305.8 billion trade deficit that Europe ran with China in 2024. European leaders pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang for greater reciprocity in market access, less bureaucratic red tape, and an end to Beijing’s industrial subsidies that Brussels claims distort competition. Von der Leyen described the EU’s China policy as standing at an “inflection point,” warning that a failure to rebalance trade could render the partnership unsustainable.
Though Xi struck a cordial tone, labeling the EU a “critical partner,” his words did little to ease European frustrations. Beijing continues to enforce export restrictions on rare earth metals—materials indispensable to Europe’s electric vehicle and green technology sectors—deepening the EU’s concern over supply chain dependency. Attempts by EU officials to push for “de-risking” rather than “decoupling” were met with thinly veiled warnings from Chinese diplomats about the consequences of aligning too closely with Washington’s economic containment strategy.
Beyond trade, Europe raised pressing issues tied to global security. Von der Leyen and Costa urged Beijing to leverage its influence over Russia to end the Military operation in Ukraine, though no concrete shifts emerged. China reiterated its vague calls for peace while opposing what it calls a Western “cold war mentality” toward Russia. Meanwhile, Brussels used the summit as a platform to express alarm over human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as China’s growing digital espionage footprint across the EU bloc.
Despite the icy atmosphere, China made a small gesture by suspending some sanctions against European lawmakers—an attempt, perhaps, to keep the diplomatic door ajar. But it did little to mask Beijing’s confidence that its post-pandemic recovery and global Belt and Road alliances leave it well positioned to weather European dissatisfaction.
The EU, for its part, appears increasingly determined to diversify its trade ties beyond both China and the United States, quietly strengthening links with Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and South American nations. Under initiatives like the Global Gateway, Brussels is pumping billions into infrastructure and digital connectivity projects meant to rival China’s Belt and Road footprint.
According to the Associated Press, the compressed nature of the summit and the blunt tone of EU officials reflect a recalibrated strategy in Brussels—less deference, more confrontation. With transatlantic ties still uncertain and China-Russia alignment firming, the EU’s message to Beijing was as clear as it was uncompromising: a rules-based economic order is not negotiable.
