China has positioned the European Union as a "suppliant"

• The EU-China summit took place for the second year in a row in Beijing, which, with the additional uncertainty surrounding Xi Jinping's participation, sent a clear signal that China wants to dictate the format of the talks and sees itself as the dominant party in relations with Europe.
• The EU and China announced a joint declaration on climate cooperation, but despite the EU's growing trade deficit and concerns about Chinese overproduction of goods, no agreement was reached on any of the key economic and trade issues.
• Despite EU pressure, Beijing does not intend to revise the concept of its cooperation with the Kremlin and tacitly support Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.
• The Chinese media's message after the summit was consistent and unambiguous. They build a narrative of strength, but also of a friendly attitude towards China, indicating that Beijing, while unwilling to compromise, desires to maintain dialogue with Europe, pursuing a policy of (for now) subtle yet decisive gestures.

Expectations for the EU-China summit, which took place on July 24th of this year in Beijing , were low from the outset, and indeed, they were not exceeded in any way. The meeting did not produce any groundbreaking decisions or concrete solutions. It resulted only in general, yet significant, declarations regarding trade and climate cooperation.

Not only did the meeting fail to bring either side any closer to resolving the growing disputes, but it also highlighted increasingly distinct differences in interests, approaches, and perceptions of mutual relations. In many respects, this year's EU-China summit resembled political theater , with clearly orchestrated symbolic gestures and declarations, and cool calculation on Beijing's part.

Beijing dictates the terms, i.e. Europe flies to China

Until now, EU-China summits have traditionally been held alternately, once in Brussels and once in Beijing. This year, this tradition was broken. Beijing made it clear relatively early on that President Xi Jinping had no immediate plans to travel to Europe. This effectively meant that EU representatives would have to travel to Beijing for the second year in a row. For China, this wasn't a logistical decision, but rather a deliberate signal that "the balance of power is shifting."

Moreover, until the final days before the summit, it was unclear whether Xi would personally participate in the talks. However, this was confirmed on July 21st, and he met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. Nevertheless, the uncertainty surrounding his presence, coupled with the fact that the summit was shortened from two days to one, appears to be part of a political game. This is a demonstration intended to show that China sets the terms, and that Europe, if it wants dialogue, must comply.

EU politicians stop in Tokyo on their way to China

Before reaching Beijing, EU leaders stopped in Tokyo to attend the 30th EU-Japan Summit. While the annual visit to Japan is traditionally part of the EU calendar, in the current context, it had a more political and symbolic dimension.

Japan is the EU and the United States' closest Asian ally , seeking to counterbalance China in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also a key player in initiatives aimed at reducing global dependence on China, particularly in the semiconductor and critical raw materials sectors. The EU intended its visit to Tokyo before Beijing to demonstrate its willingness to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region and to clearly signal its refusal to yield to Chinese pressure.

Climate as the common denominator, trade as an unresolved contentious issue

The only area on which the EU and China managed to formulate joint declarations was climate. This could be seen as a success, but given the European and Chinese ambitions for a green transformation, it was a relatively easily achievable goal around which a minimum of diplomatic agreement could be built.

On the climate issue, there were no proposals for specific solutions or mechanisms. Instead, we received only rather general declarations regarding European-Chinese cooperation and its goals.

However, progress was not achieved on other pressing issues, such as trade. From a European perspective, the focus was on the growing trade deficit with China, which reached almost €305 billion in 2024, as well as issues related to Chinese overproduction of goods and the lack of access to the Chinese market that European companies face.

For Beijing, on the other hand, EU tariffs on Chinese electric cars were a key issue. No breakthroughs were achieved in any of the areas of importance to both the EU and China. Brussels stood firm, and Beijing, despite declarations of openness, did not commit to any action that would change the status quo.

Ukraine remains a bone of contention in mutual relations.

Beyond trade issues, Russia's aggression against Ukraine remains one of the most significant flashpoints in EU-China relations. As in the past, EU representatives clearly communicated European expectations during the summit. They believe Beijing should use its influence to curb the Russian war machine and persuade Moscow to de-escalate.

European Council President António Costa recalled China's responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and Ursula von der Leyen stressed that China's attitude towards the war in Ukraine will be crucial for the future of relations with the EU.

Beijing, for its part, has no intention of changing its position presented earlier this year, maintaining that it does not supply Russia with any weapons and strictly controls the export of dual-use equipment . Furthermore, according to media reports, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told EU diplomats that China cannot allow Russia to fail because it would mean focusing all US attention solely on Beijing.

Such declarations clearly demonstrate that neither the EU nor China intends to reconsider their current approach to Russia's war in Ukraine. The EU will continue to denounce Chinese support for Russia as inconsistent with European values and security interests, while Beijing will persist in its course of feigned neutrality, effectively supporting the Kremlin.

Chinese reactions to the China-EU summit

Following the conclusion of the meetings, the Chinese media immediately began a controlled dissemination of narratives regarding the summit. Their coverage emphasized the positive value of the nearly 50-year-old diplomatic relations with the EU, as well as their deep economic and trade ties. Nevertheless, the focus of the Chinese media was Xi Jinping's speech, which was eagerly quoted and reposted by virtually all media outlets, especially the state-owned Xinhua news agency.

By far the most powerful were Xi's words about " the need for Europe to make strategic decisions." They carried an instructive tone and were an allusion intended to discourage the EU from siding with the US and accelerating the process of reducing European economies' dependence on China.

In addition, Chinese media, again alluding to American influence in Europe, warned against the " politicization of economic issues" and criticized its submission to "external influences" resulting from Cold War "bloc thinking."

Both the tone and content of the messages from Chinese media and diplomats were consistent. Beijing is assertive, consistent, and unwilling to make concessions. However, it will pursue its interests step by step, while maintaining dialogue, good diplomatic relations, and a facade of openness and friendship.

The EU-China summit in Beijing failed to answer any of the key questions for the future of relations between the two sides . Although both the EU and China declare their willingness to strengthen cooperation, their vision of the global order, the principles of economic operation, and their approaches to trade and geopolitical issues remain deeply divergent. The summit can be considered a success for China. It managed to position the EU as a "suppliant" seeking its interests in Beijing, dictate the format of the talks, suggest common values and goals, and at the same time—very importantly—refuse to commit to any changes in its own approach.

For Brussels, the summit was further proof that dialogue with Beijing is indeed necessary, but it is becoming increasingly difficult, as China openly seeks to participate solely from a position of strength. In other words, the meeting demonstrated that Beijing is increasingly confident in its role as a global player and no longer feels the need to conform to the expectations of its Western partners. The stronger China becomes, the bolder it imposes its own rules of the game and the less willing it is to compromise. This will be worth keeping in mind in the near future, especially in the context of a potential escalation in the South China Sea and vis-à-vis Taiwan.