The European Union and China will hold a summit on Friday (1/4). In the first summit in two years, the European Union will urge China not to help Russia during the war in Ukraine.
European Union officials say any assistance provided to Russia will damage China's international reputation and jeopardize relations with its biggest trading partners, Europe and the United States.
According to Reuters, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council Charles Michel will hold virtual talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Next on the agenda is a virtual meeting with President Xi Jinping.
An EU official said China's stance on Russia would be key to Friday's summit.
Another official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, emphasized the importance of the role of Europe and the US to the Chinese economy.
According to him, more than a quarter of China's global trade is with Europe and the US. Meanwhile with Russia, China only trades 2.4%.
Wang Yiwei, a Europe expert at Beijing's Renmin University, said China and the European Union share a common view of ending the Ukraine war.
"I imagine China wants to use this summit to discuss with the European Union how to create acceptable conditions for Putin to step down from his current position," Yiwei told Reuters.
Since 2019, the EU's diplomatic language towards China has changed, from seeing it as a systemic rival to a potential partner in fighting climate change or the pandemic.
The EU and China have even been bound in an investment agreement since late 2020. The agreement is designed to resolve some of the EU's concerns about mutual market access.
Unfortunately, the implementation of the agreement had to be delayed by EU sanctions against China for alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. On the other hand, China has also blacklisted EU individuals and entities.
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