European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Beijing on April 6, accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron on an official visit on EU-China relations.

The Chairman of the Commission will accompany Macron during his visit to China at the invitation of the President of France. Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the afternoon of April 6 in Beijing.

The French leader spoke about this trip during a press conference following the March 24 summit in Brussels, stressing that the EU must win China over to its side and convince it to influence Russia in order to stop the conflict in Ukraine. To signify a “European vision” for this trip, Macron announced that he would be accompanied by the head of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

It is worth noting that this visit takes place two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow.

In recent months, the Europeans have increased contacts with the Chinese president. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met him in Beijing last week, followed by a visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last November and a visit by European Council President Charles Michel in December.

Last week, the President of the European Commission said that the EU’s relationship with China depends on Beijing’s position on Putin’s war. She also noted that the relationship between the EU and China is “one of the most complex and important” in the world, but expressed regret that the relationship has become “more distant and complex” in recent years. “Our relationship is too important to be compromised without setting the conditions for a healthy relationship,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

In Beijing, Ursula von der Leyen will meet President of the EU-China Chamber of Commerce Jörg Witke and representatives of various European industries based in China. He will also meet with Prime Minister Lee Chang.

Source: RES-IPE