PNN – China’s Foreign Ministry announced a high-level meeting between Beijing and European Union officials this week.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing Reuters, a high-level meeting between senior officials from Beijing and Brussels will be held this week to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, according to the confirmation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa will travel to China on Thursday of this week and meet with President Xi Jinping.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will co-chair the 25th Beijing-Brussels summit that day, along with von der Leyen and Costa.
The summit comes as global trade tensions have escalated. According to Reuters, Beijing is seeking closer economic and political ties with the European Union, aiming to provide a buffer against uncertainties in its relations with Washington.
EU-China relations deteriorated sharply in 2021. At that time, Brussels imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over allegations of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, a move that was met with immediate retaliatory sanctions from Beijing and led to the suspension of many bilateral relations.
Relations between the two sides have been strained in recent years due to various trade disputes, including those over Chinese-made electric cars and the country’s rare earth materials.