The 24th EU-China summit will take place in Beijing, China on 7-8 December 2023. This will be the first in-person EU-China summit since 2019.
President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by High Representative Josep Borrell, representing the EU, will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in two separate sessions.
The summit will be an opportunity to engage with China at the highest level and to pursue constructive and stable EU-China relations.
The focus of the summit will be the state of EU-China relations and international issues, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
The leaders will discuss ways of ensuring a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship, as well as areas of shared interest such as climate change, food security, global health and pandemic preparedness.
The EU will advocate the need to support the multilateral rules-based international order and recall the EU’s approach to de-risking and economic security.
According to the European Council conclusions on China, 30 June 2023 China is simultaneously a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. Despite their different political and economic systems, the European Union and China have a shared interest in pursuing constructive and stable relations, anchored in respect for the rules-based international order, balanced engagement and reciprocity and EU encourages China to take more ambitious action on climate change and biodiversity, health and pandemic preparedness, food security, disaster reduction, debt relief, and humanitarian assistance.
The European Union and China continue to be important trade and economic partners. The European Union will seek to ensure a level playing field, so that the trade and economic relationship is balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial. In line with the Versailles agenda, the European Union will continue to reduce critical dependencies and vulnerabilities, including in its supply chains, and will de-risk and diversify where necessary and appropriate. The European Union does not intend to decouple or to turn inwards.
Conserning the global policy the East and South China Seas are of strategic importance for regional and global prosperity and security. The European Union is concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The European Council opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. It reconfirms the EU’s consistent ‘One China policy’.
As to the question of human rights, he European Union remains firmly committed to the promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The European Council welcomes the resumption of the Human Rights Dialogue with China. It reiterates its concerns regarding forced labour, the treatment of human rights defenders and persons belonging to minorities, the situation in Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as the honouring of China’s previous commitments related to Hong Kong.
President von der Leyen, during COP28, acknowledged China’s efforts in tackling climate change. Additionally, in a European defense event, she remarked, “The Kremlin has deprived itself of access to Western economies and innovation systems and made itself dependent on China.”
Conversely, Michel focused on critical raw materials, emphasising Europe’s dependence on imports, particularly from China.
He said, “on the supply side, we are all dependent on critical raw materials and rare earths from third countries, including China. Graphite, for instance, is the most-used material in the defence industry – for helicopters, submarines, artillery and missiles – and China produces 70% of the world’s graphite. Only coordinated European action will ensure that we have access to critical raw materials to increase domestic military production – much like our Chips Act, which strives to strengthen the EU chips value chain.”
