The EU is trying to restore relations with China, although Beijing’s refusal to condemn Moscow’s war in Ukraine hampers the prospects for a significant rapprochement, AFP reports. A number of European leaders have arrived in Beijing to try to start a dialogue, with important visits planned this week by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, AFP reports.

They follow German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez who visited Beijing after China lifted restrictions on “zero COVID-19 infections in December 2022”. Last week, European Commission President von der Leyen admitted that relations had become “more distant and more difficult” in recent years. “Understanding starts with talking to each other,” she said.

The purpose of Michel’s visit in December was to restore dialogue between the European Union and China, the European ambassador said at a recent press briefing. According to diplomatic sources, the long-term goal is to hold an EU-China summit in Beijing in June or July.

The same sources reported that EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell will also visit China soon. “We see that there is a desire to reconnect and, above all, to participate as the EU,” Valerie Niquet, head of the Asia program at the French Foundation for Strategic Studies (FRS), told AFP. The idea is to “restore normal relations,” she added. Analysts say a resumption of “business as usual” could also be beneficial from Beijing’s perspective.

“China is interested in the EU for two reasons: economically, it is an important market,” Niecke said. “And ultimately it could be a way to circumvent American pressure at various levels and drive a wedge into any Western unity against China.”

Ukraine as a “determining factor

An important item on the agenda of meetings in Beijing this week is the conflict in Ukraine. Both Macron and von der Leyen appear intent on reaffirming the European Union’s commitment to Ukraine at talks with Xi Jinping in China. As China tries to position itself as neutral in Russia’s war in Ukraine, Beijing’s refusal to condemn Moscow’s February 2022 invasion drew condemnation from the West.

“The brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine is not only unchecked, but President Xi maintains his ‘boundless friendship’ with Putin’s Russia,” von der Leyen said Thursday. How China continues to engage in Putin’s war will be a determining factor in the development of EU-China relations.” During Xi’s visit to Moscow in March, the Chinese and Russian leaders hailed a “new era” in relations between the two nations.

“The way China is positioning itself on the war in Ukraine is a disappointment for Europe,” a European diplomat currently in Beijing told AFP. But she was skeptical that the European Union would persuade China to change its position, as Beijing still views Europe as the “younger brother of the United States.”

However, according to her, the fact that personal meetings between the EU and China are resuming is a positive development.

Trade imbalance

Another big topic of discussion is the trade imbalance between the two sides. “We have to rebalance this relationship,” von der Leyen said on Thursday. Jörg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, was more direct. “Our sales are pathetic,” he told AFP.

“Last year we only shipped 1.6 million containers to China, exports dropped dramatically – and China was incredibly successful, sending 6.4 million containers to Europe.”