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European Union

EU-China Summit: Low Expectations Amid Tensions Over Rare Earth Elements, Ukraine War, and Human Rights

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

EU leaders, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Antonio Costa, will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties. However, the mood ahead of the summit is tense, with low expectations for concrete bilateral deals due to ongoing trade disagreements and geopolitical tensions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EU views China as a partner for global challenges, an economic competitor, and a systemic rival due to Beijing's governance system and its influence on global affairs.
  • The EU is concerned about China's control of rare earth minerals, with the European Commission president accusing China of "blackmail" and seeking to loosen its export restrictions.
  • The EU has imposed tariffs of up to 45 percent on Chinese electric vehicles and barred Chinese companies from medical devices tenders due to concerns over Beijing's domestic subsidies and export controls.
  • China has rejected EU accusations of enabling Russia's war economy and has reiterated its position on the Ukraine war as being focused on negotiation, ceasefire, and peace.
  • The EU has sanctioned Chinese companies for facilitating the supply of goods to Russia, and Brussels has also slapped sanctions on Chinese banks for reportedly financing the supply of such goods.
  • Human rights issues remain a significant concern, with the EU having slapped sanctions on Chinese officials over reported human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang region.
  • China has rejected EU accusations of human rights abuses and has hinted at resuming political dialogues between the European Parliament and the NPC, but the 2021 EU sanctions remain in place.
  • The summit comes amid US President Donald Trump's global tariff war, with the EU trying to navigate trade negotiations with Washington and Beijing seeking to reduce tensions.

Statistics:

  • The EU has a trade deficit with China of more than 300 billion euros ($352bn) as of 2024, with EU imports from China amounting to 519 billion euros ($609bn) and EU exports to China totaling 213 billion euros ($250bn).
  • EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles range from 16 to 45 percent, while Beijing has imposed a 10 percent tariff on goods it imports from the US.
  • The EU has sanctioned 13 Chinese individuals and entities over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, with no official having been held to account.
  • Chinese state-owned enterprises control 80-90 percent of the global market for rare earth minerals.

Sources:

  • https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2025/7/2/whats-bringing-china-and-the-eu-closer
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/23/expectations-low-ahead-of-eu-china-50th-anniversary-summit-in-beijing
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/2/eu-presses-china-on-rare-earth-elements-and-ukraine-war
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/7/21/russia-launches-major-aerial-attacks-on-kyiv
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/5/13/why-did-the-us-and-china-slash-tariffs-and-whats-next

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