China’s President Xi Jinping has declined an original invitation to a summit in Brussels to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, with the EU questioning the sincerity of recent Chinese overtures.
According to two sources familiar with the matter, speaking to the Financial Times, China’s second-ranking official, Premier Li Qiang, will meet with the European Council and Commission presidents in Brussels for the summit, not Xi.
Summits between the EU and China are typically held alternately in Brussels and Beijing. Normally, the premier would attend the Brussels summit, while Xi would host the one in Beijing. The EU, however, believes that the significance of this meeting, which is meant to celebrate half a century of diplomatic relations, requires the presence of the Chinese president.
The upcoming summit takes place at a particularly sensitive time for EU-China relations. Tensions between Brussels and Beijing have escalated since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, with the EU accusing China of supporting the Kremlin. The EU has also imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports.
Both sides have stated that the talks will continue, but the initial rebuff has confirmed the view of many in Brussels that China’s warm words about the need for cooperation in the face of US President Donald Trump’s attack on the multilateral world order would not be followed by concrete actions, according to the Financial Times.
Lu Shaye, China’s former ambassador to France, now a special envoy for European affairs, said that China’s policy towards Europe has always been aimed at “peace, friendship, cooperation and mutual benefit.”
Lu, known for his aggressive diplomacy, caused a stir in Europe last year by questioning the Crimean peninsula’s annexation by Ukraine and the sovereignty of former Soviet republics like EU member states Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
His appointment as the head of China’s diplomatic relations with Europe was seen by some commentators as a hardening of Beijing’s stance, but at the same time, “a Chinese charm offensive is underway” said another EU diplomat to the Financial Times.