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Cao Jiaxuan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged European leaders to abandon bloc politics and instead “join the gym” of the China market to build muscle and competitiveness.
Speaking to the press in Beijing on Sunday, Wang characterised China-Europe economic and trade ties as complementary advantages, saying that “a dynamic balance is entirely within reach amid growing ties”.
“Building fences and barriers will only lead to self-isolation,” he cautioned.
“We would be happy to see our European friends step out of the protectionist ‘attic’ and come to the ‘gym’ of the Chinese market, where they can build up their muscles and boost their competitiveness.”
Wang added that China-EU “interdependence is not a risk, intertwined interests are not threats, openness and cooperation will not weaken economic security”.
China’s trade with the European Union (EU) reached 5.93 trillion yuan (US$860 billion) in 2025, up 6 per cent from the previous year, according to Chinese customs data.


Wang’s remarks sought to respond to calls by the European Union – and some individual member states – that Beijing address the large trade deficit in its favour while ensuring a level playing field and reciprocal market access.
Brussels has in recent years expanded its toolbox and legislation to shield its industries and reduce reliance on China for critical supply chains.
Yet it remains hamstrung by declining competitiveness against China’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence, new energy batteries and electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, member states such as Germany and Spain have taken steps to tap China’s market potential while seeking cooperation on the green transition and electric vehicles.
Wang’s remarks – delivered at one of the most closely watched events of Beijing’s annual “two sessions” legislative and advisory meetings – also come as European capitals recalibrate their ties in the face of an increasingly assertive US foreign policy, including its bid to acquire Greenland.
A string of European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have visited China in recent months.
Some analysts said that Wang’s optimistic summary of these “successive visits” reflected a strategic focus on national capitals rather than the EU’s central bureaucracy.
Ding Chun, director of the Centre for European Studies at Shanghai’s Fudan University, said the metaphors used by Wang reflected Beijing’s belief that open competition ultimately strengthened economic capabilities.
“Markets are like a gym,” he said. “If you can survive there, your abilities improve.”
He said Beijing sought to prevent strategic competition from derailing the relationship.
We are not afraid of any external instigation or pressure, and our relations carry strong strategic resilience
Wang Yi, on China-Russia relations
“The point is that competition should not become the central issue in China-EU relations,” Ding said, noting that Beijing preferred to emphasise complementarity and mutual benefit.
James Downes, director of the Europe-Asia programme at the Centre for Explanatory Research and Scientific Prediction, a US-based think tank, said the metaphor aligned with a long-standing Chinese critique that the EU’s de‑risking drive was essentially protectionism dressed up as security, driven by fears of Chinese competitiveness in the green and hi-tech sectors.
“Beijing may see the EU as retreating into a defensive industrial policy ‘attic’ instead of engaging with China’s vast market ‘gym’ to upgrade its own competitiveness through open competition and cooperation,” Downes said.
At the press conference, Wang also hailed Beijing’s political trust with Moscow, depicting their ties as steadfast after weathering storms and challenges.
“We are not afraid of any external instigation or pressure, and our relations carry strong strategic resilience,” Wang said.
He did not mention the Ukraine war, a major point of friction between Beijing and Brussels, as Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II continues into its fifth year.
Wang described Europe as “a natural pole in the multipolar pattern, an important force for upholding the international order and a key partner in pursuing Chinese modernisation”.
He also urged Europe to form “a correct perception of China”, saying this was the key to stable and sound relations.


Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa, a geopolitics strategist specialising in EU-Asia relations, said Wang’s remarks could be seen as Beijing offering a positive summary of diplomatic engagements to create a narrative of stability.
He argued that China’s approach in Europe was increasingly focused on engaging national governments and broader public audiences rather than Brussels.
“EU political elites have grown noisier, so Beijing invests where the noise is lower,” he said, referring to China’s outreach to European businesses and the public.
“Beijing deals with states, not the EU,” Contin Trillo-Figueroa said, indicating the effort to counter increasingly tough positions from Brussels.
“Bilateral meetings serve China structurally. Each European leader arrives carrying national industries, export anxieties and sectoral lobbies,” he added.
Song Luzheng, a researcher at Fudan University’s China Institute, said Wang’s remarks highlighted Beijing’s approach to managing disagreements through quiet negotiations while highlighting cooperation in public.
“China still wants to maintain good relations with Europe and does not want confrontation.”


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Foreign minister’s comments come at closely watched press conference on ‘two sessions’ sidelines


Foreign minister’s comments come at closely watched press conference on ‘two sessions’ sidelines.


Wang Yi to Europe: leave protectionist attic, join the China market gym

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Foreign minister’s comments come at closely watched press conference on ‘two sessions’ sidelines

Foreign minister’s comments come at closely watched press conference on ‘two sessions’ sidelines