Heading to Bejing: EU Leaders Seek Balance in Summit with China
The EU leaders are venturing to Bejing, aiming to strike a balance between collaboration and tackling their concerns with China. According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the objective should be to address "gaps and disagreements" between the two global powers.
The EU and China share interests in environmental policies and artificial intelligence, as von der Leyen acknowledged. However, when their interests diverge, she stressed the importance of handling EU concerns responsibly. Council President Charles Michel echoed this sentiment, underscoring the EU's pursuit of a stable, mutually advantageous relationship with China, while safeguarding European values, such as human rights and democracy.
In his opening address, Xi Jinping urged China and the EU to work together to conquer global challenges. The summit itinerary is packed with topics, including climate change, health, and trade disputes. However, the more contentious issue on the agenda is the EU's call for China to compromise in trade disagreements.
Over time, tensions have escalated between the EU and China, predominantly due to trade imbalances. This issue has long been a concern for the EU, who argue that tolerating these imbalances in the long term is not sustainable. To defend their market, the EU has tools at their disposal, chiefly by imposing tariffs on certain imports.
The EU's stance on curbing the export of sensitive technology to counterbalance trade has encountered resistance from China. Beijing dismissed the EU's efforts as baseless, asserting that such measures would ultimately harm both sides.
The discord between the two powers is not limited to economic issues; human rights concerns also sway their relationship. Following EU sanctions against China due to the suppression of the Muslim Uighur minority, Beijing imposed travel restrictions and other measures against EU politicians, including MEP and former German Greens co-leader, Reinhard Bütikofer.
Von der Leyen plans to address this issue at the summit meetings, urging Beijing to lift the sanctions against European politicians.
Relevant Insights:
- The EU is contemplating tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), resulting in retaliatory measures from China in trade disputes.
- China's intellectual property practices have drawn scrutiny from the EU, who claim Beijing rigs royalty rates for EU standard essential patents (SEPs) without consulting patent holders, thereby granting Chinese manufacturers undeservedly lower licensing fees.
- Restrictions on the export of chips used for AI models to specific EU member states, initiated by the US, has impacted EU AI development and strategic autonomy.
- The EU is deeply concerned about the human rights conditions in various Chinese regions, including Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. The EU encourages China to cooperate with international human rights bodies, emphasizing the importance of respecting and protecting human rights for all, including the people of Hong Kong, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other minorities.
- EU-China collaboration on environmental policies and artificial intelligence is evident in projects like the BioClima project, which evaluates biodiversity status and the effect of climate change, and shared goals in AI governance, prioritizing ethics, data protection, safety, and security.
Despite these complexities, the EU and China will seek common ground in Bejing, understanding the necessity of tackling global challenges together while preserving their fundamental values.
