High stakes, low expectations as EU and China prepare for summit in Beijing
Hopes of a reset in relations rose in the first quarter but came back to Earth with controls on critical minerals
In recent months, trade friction and China’s support for Russia have resurfaced as flashpoints, dashing any prospect for a feel-good summit.
In a sign of its frustration at how poorly things are going, China cancelled the summit’s second day in Hefei, an industrial city in Anhui province where European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has family links.
The only deliverable is a joint statement on climate issues, negotiations for which were fraught, but finally concluded overnight on Tuesday, with the text sent to Brussels for the approval of EU ambassadors on Wednesday. Otherwise, the pickings are slim.
“The [only other] European deliverable is a substantive, open, direct, good, constructive conversation between the two of us on every aspect of this relationship,” said one official, reflecting just how low the bar has fallen.