Xi Jinping rejected invitation to anniversary summit marking 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and EU - Financial Times
The summit in Brussels to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of relations between China and the European Union will be attended by the Chinese Prime Minister, not leader Xi Jinping.
As Censor.NET reports with reference to European Truth, the Financial Times writes about this based on information from informed interlocutors.
As noted, Beijing has informed EU officials that Chinese Prime Minister Li Qian will meet with the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission at the summit in Brussels instead of Xi Jinping.
It is reported that the holding of EU-China summits traditionally alternates between Brussels and Beijing. Usually the Prime Minister attends the summit in Brussels, and Xi in Beijing, but the EU believes that the importance of this meeting - on the occasion of half a century of diplomatic relations - means that the Chinese leader should be present at the summit.
Both sides are said to have said talks were ongoing, but the initial refusal confirmed the view of many in Brussels that China would not follow up its warm words about the need for cooperation amid "US President Donald Trump’s assault on the multilateral world order."
It also notes that this year’s summit comes at a particularly sensitive time for EU-China relations.
Tensions between Brussels and Beijing have risen since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the EU accusing China of supporting the Kremlin. The EU has also imposed tariffs on imports of Chinese electric cars, claiming they are subsidized.
