The European Union’s export policies towards Beijing, China claimed on Wednesday, the eve of a high-level summit in the Chinese capital, do not “make sense.”
Spokesman for the foreign ministry Wang Wenbin stated, “I’m afraid it doesn’t make sense if the EU imposes severe restrictions on the export of high-tech products to China on the one hand, and hopes to significantly increase exports to China on the other.”
The head of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, together with senior EU diplomat Josep Borrell and European Council President Charles Michel will be in Beijing on Thursday for the EU-China meeting.
One of the main topics of discussion during the first in-person summit between the leaders of Brussels and Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping of China since 2019 will be trade.
“European leaders will not tolerate over time an imbalance in the trade relationship,” von der Leyen stated in an interview with AFP before the negotiations.
However, she continued, “we prefer to have negotiated solutions.”
At a routine news conference on Wednesday, Wang declared, “China is a trustworthy and indispensable partner of the EU.”
“It is crucial to address differences constructively through dialogue and consultations to advance China-EU relations,” he stated.
“We hope that the European side will cooperate with China to reach a mutually beneficial agreement, foster an environment that will enable the leaders of China and the EU to meet successfully, and work together to ensure the long-term and stable growth of China-EU relations,” he concluded.
