XI Jinping Snubs EU-China anniversary summit

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China’s President Xi Jinping has rejected a first invitation to visit Brussels for a summit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the connections because the EU questions the sincerity of the latest Chinese overtures.

Beijing told the EU summit Instead of XI, two people familiar with the matter said.

The hosting of EU China peaks traditionally changes between Brussels and Beijing. The Prime Minister usually visits the summit in BrusselsAnd XI organizes it in Beijing, but the EU believes that the importance of this meeting – to remember for half a century of diplomatic relationships – means that the President of China should take part, people said.

Both sides said that the talks were passed on, but the initial snub has confirmed the view of many in Brussels that China will not give his warm words about the need to cooperate on the multilateral world order in view of the attack by US President Donald Trump.

This year’s summit comes at a particularly sensitive time for EU China relationships.

The tensions between Brussels and Beijing have increased since the full invasion of Russia in 2022. The EU accused China of supporting the Kremlin. The block has also imposed tariffs for Chinese electric vehicle imports and claims that they are subsidized.

EU officials say that China, who had a trade deficit of EUR 304.5 billion with the block last year, does not do enough to exchange trading again by reducing the subsidies for its industries and reducing trade barriers for foreign companies that do business in the second largest economy.

“The relationship is on ice,” said a high -ranking EU diplomat. “It is a change in the sound, not the substance. Your guideline will not change and that applies to us. “

Lu Shaye, China’s former ambassador in France, who is now Beijing’s special representative for European affairs, said that China’s policy towards Europe has always “supported peace, friendship, cooperation and mutual benefits”.

“That never changed. It is only that the contrast to the current US policy in the direction of Europe’s China policy towards Europe seems even more visionary, fairer and more sensible. I hope this could serve as a wake -up call (for Europe), ”he said.

Lu, who is known as a “Wolf Warrior” diplomat for his aggressive diplomacy, caused a stir in Europe last year when he asked whether the Crimea was part of Ukraine and the sovereignty of former Soviet republics such as EU members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

His appointment to the administration of China’s diplomatic relationship with Europe was regarded by some commentators as a hardening of Beijing’s attitude, but at the same time another EU diplomat said: “It is a Chinese charm offensive in action”.

“China even said that it would expect Europe to have a place at the negotiating table (in the peace talks of Ukraine),” added the diplomat. “I also hear less about EU China trade friction. They still exist, but there is less focus on it. “

The chief of trading Maroš Šefčovič will visit the EU at the end of this month of China. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares The Financial Times told last month that the EU should also see potential possibilities. If China can “be a partner – let us take advantage of it,” said Albares.

In February, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU would keep the risks of its industry “the risks”, “we can find agreements that could even expand our trade and investment relationships”.

Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum have forced the EU to react, even if the industrial groups warn of the damage it will cause. However, a high -ranking EU official said that a critical focus on China was defensive measures to keep “a wave” of Chinese products that were sold by the tariffs from the US market.

On Friday, the EU opened an anti-dumping examination against Chinese exports of obesity acid, which was used to produce nylon and many other products. It has been the 11th case since October, including that in terms of sweet corn, metal screws and candles.

“Informal discussions are used to determine the date for the EU China summit this year and the level of representation,” said an EU official.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it has no “information” in relation to the matter.