EU leaders meet China’s Xi amid trade tensions

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday for a one-day summit focused on trade imbalances, rare earths, and Ukraine, amid escalating tensions between the two sides.

They're expected to focus on trade disputes and geopolitical concerns such as Ukraine.

The one-day meeting comes amid strained relations between the European Union and China, marked by disagreements over market access, rare earth exports, electric vehicles (EVs), and industrial overcapacity. Both European leaders also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to address what they called a growing imbalance in trade relations.

Ahead of the summit, von der Leyen struck a measured tone on X, formerly Twitter, saying the talks were an opportunity to “advance and rebalance” EU-China ties.

“I’m convinced there can be a mutually beneficial cooperation,” she wrote.

In contrast, the weeks leading up to the talks saw increasingly hawkish rhetoric from Brussels, with officials warning about Chinese market practices and calling for a more assertive stance.

China’s state news agency Xinhua appeared to tone down tensions, calling the summit a chance to focus on “shared interests” and reminding readers that China should be viewed as a “critical partner,” not just a systemic rival.

“These areas of common ground should not be eclipsed by isolated points of friction,” it said.

Despite the challenges, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to economic cooperation, with von der Leyen calling for “mutually beneficial ties.” However, observers noted a hardened stance from Beijing.

“China has come away emboldened from its confrontation with Trump,” Zuleeg said, adding that Beijing now sees “less of a need to woo Europe.”

China remains the EU’s second-largest trading partner, but divisions on security, values and global governance continue to define the relationship.

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