China-EU summit: progress on rare earth exports and tensions over Ukraine mark 50 years of pragmatically cautious relations

Half a century after the institution of relations between China and the EU, and in opposition to a backdrop of deteriorating transatlantic relations, the European Union and China held their twenty fifth summit in Beijing. It’s value noting that the summit couldn’t have been held elsewhere, as Chinese language President Xi Jinping had refused an invite to journey to Brussels.

Expectations had been low, however the summit yielded extra substantial outcomes than anticipated, most definitely because of the shadow solid by the present US administration and its bullish international coverage.

Past the same old rhetoric about dedication to the connection, respect for the rules of the United Nations and the rules-based worldwide order, outcomes revolved round three essential axes: international challenges, commerce relations and present geopolitical points.

International challenges

Each events expressed a dedication to cooperation and joint management within the face of worldwide challenges. This included environmental points, which even warranted the publication of a joint press launch, in addition to a shared dedication to multilateralism in a world context that’s notably hostile to it.

With regard to the atmosphere, each China and the EU have positioned particular emphasis on decreasing emissions, in addition to rising monetary contributions for this objective and defending biodiversity.

Whereas this primary space noticed a notable diploma of settlement between China and the EU, the identical can’t be stated for problems with commerce and geopolitics.

Commerce relations

President of the European Fee, Ursula Von der Leyen, issued a robust warning concerning the want “rebalance” the EU-China commerce relationship: “As our co-operation has deepened, so have imbalances”, she stated. Particularly, she referred to the necessity to scale back the EU’s extraordinarily excessive commerce deficit with China, which reached €300 million in 2024.

Along with current tensions arising from the deficit, disagreements have not too long ago emerged concerning the imposition of tariffs on sure merchandise by every of the events. These embody levies imposed by the PRC on European pork and brandy, that are largely thought of to be a retaliation in opposition to the EU’s resolution to impose tariffs on imported Chinese language electrical automobiles in October 2024.

The EU, and the G7, have made efforts to scale back dependency on China, which Xi criticised immediately: “Boosting competitiveness mustn’t depend on constructing partitions or boundaries, as decoupling and severing provide chains will solely end in self-isolation”, he stated.

Regardless of tensions, there have been additionally modest indicators of progress – a tentative deal was struck to carry restrictions on Chinese language exports of uncommon earth minerals to Europe, which had been in place since April 2025.

Geopolitical points

Restrictions on Chinese language exports of uncommon earth minerals to Europe and tariffs imposed on electrical automobiles are literally intently linked to the third of the main points addressed at this summit: geopolitics. That is an space the place disagreement between China and the EU has angered the Chinese language authorities – extra so than commerce issues.

Nonetheless, not like the US, the EU has not opted for a coverage of decoupling from Beijing, however relatively for certainly one of sustaining relations and derisking.

Certainly, the European Union, just like the US, fears that China might use its rising technological capabilities to mission affect, intrude in different states, launch cyberattacks or management methods. Electrical automobiles may grow to be a really great tool for these functions.

Nonetheless, disagreements on worldwide safety between Europe and China don’t finish there. Quite the opposite, they’ve repeatedly clashed lately over the battle in Ukraine, which von der Leyen described because the “figuring out issue” in EU-China relations.

For the reason that starting of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has considered China’s refusal to sentence Russia’s actions with appreciable displeasure. It has additionally criticised China’s ambivalence concerning the positions of Ukraine and Russia and, above all, the financial, political and navy help offered by Beijing to the Russian Federation.

This already prompted motion from the EU in early 2024, within the type of sanctions in opposition to Chinese language corporations for supplying Russia with elements for the manufacture of weapons.

Learn extra:
Beijing’s ‘believable deniability’ on arms provide is shortly changing into implausible — and will quickly lengthen to Iran

Sadly, the summit has not introduced the 2 events any nearer to settlement on this difficulty. It subsequently appears unlikely that European efforts to persuade China to stress Russia into agreeing to a ceasefire will bear fruit. The tensions make sense if we think about that that is the place sure core variations between the EU and China converge – particularly their conflicting fashions of worldwide relations, and longstanding views on human rights.

Restricted outcomes

Though the summit generated extra outcomes than many commentators anticipated, not all of them have been constructive. Cooperation between the 2 powers has been rhetorically strengthened, however the assembly primarily served to as soon as once more underscore the large distance that separates Beijing from Brussels. For now, plainly even the specter of the Trump administration’s international coverage can not carry them any nearer.