BRUSSELS: High EU officers and Chinese language leaders are as a consequence of maintain their subsequent summit marking 50 years of ties in China in July, a spokesperson for the European Council mentioned on Friday (Apr 11).
The European Union had introduced plans for a summit in January, earlier than US President Donald Trump took workplace and unleashed sweeping tariffs.
“We’re coordinating with China to set a date for the assembly, which is predicted to happen in China within the second half of July,” mentioned the official on the council, the physique representing the EU’s 27 international locations.
The bloc faces a fragile balancing act, searching for to barter with an unpredictable ally in Washington to keep away from tariffs and the necessity to diversify buying and selling companions, with its bid to carry the road on its own trade concerns concerning China.
Earlier on Friday, Chinese language President Xi Jinping urged the EU to affix palms with Beijing in resisting “unilateral bullying”, referring to tariffs imposed by Trump.
The heads of the EU’s two fundamental establishments – the Council and the European Fee – have held common summits with China’s management however didn’t meet in 2024.
