Wang Yi’s Brussels visit lays bare EU-China rifts on Ukraine, trade

Over a marathon day of diplomacy in Brussels on Wednesday, China’s top envoy and European Union leaders discussed thorny issues, from Ukraine and the Middle East to rising trade tensions and China’s rare earth export controls, as both sides laid the groundwork for a blockbuster summit planned in three weeks.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before holding political talks with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, that ran into the evening.

The differences between how the two sides view their bilateral ties were made clear in their respective readouts.

While the Chinese foreign ministry account of Wang’s discussions with Costa – and briefly von der Leyen – focused on areas of positivity and cooperation, an EU readout of the “strategic dialogue” with Kallas did not shy away from deep divergences on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and trade.

Veteran diplomat Wang called for China and Europe to join forces against “unilateralism and bullying” in a thinly veiled swipe at the United States.

“The world today is full of turmoil, and unilateralism and bullying have severely impacted the international order and international rules,” Wang told Costa, the former Portuguese premier, according to a readout published by China’s foreign ministry.