China-EU Summit to Focus on International Economic Issues

The China-EU summit is scheduled to be held in Beijing, China, on December 4, where the leaders of the two sides will discuss strategic issues and related international economic issues.  China and Europe are friends, not competitors. Our common interests outweigh our differences. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wen-bin said this shortly.

Spokesman Wang said Chinese President Xi Jinping had planned to meet  European Council President Charles Michel and Commission President  Ursula von der Leyen.

We will find a solution to the problem through dialogue and discussion. "We will work together to face global challenges, bring new energy to the world and improve the stability of the global environment," Wang said.

The summit follows months of high-level talks between the EU and China in Beijing to find terms on the difficult relationship. The European Union has pledged to reduce its dependence on China by the middle of the year and discuss how to balance "risk reduction" and "risk elimination." We work together in areas such as climate change.

Last September, the EU agreed to set up a dispute settlement mechanism when  Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis visited Beijing. It comes less than two weeks after the European Commission opened an investigation into the imposition of punitive tariffs on imports of Chinese small electric vehicles to protect EU manufacturers.

A month later, EU ambassador Josep Borrell told Chinese officials that Brussels is taking a hard line with China and also expects geopolitical and trade problems. China announced last month that it would grant a temporary visa-free travel period to citizens of several countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.