EU-China Summit: Balancing Expectations and Divisions

The EU-China summit, the first in-person meeting since 2019, is expected to focus on raising concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and addressing trade irritants, but concrete outcomes are not anticipated. The EU will urge China to use its influence on Russia to stop the war, emphasize the need to respect sanctions on Russia, and discuss the issue of arms supply from North Korea to Russia. The EU also aims to address the "imbalanced" economic relations and trade deficit with China. Climate change, biodiversity, and dialogues on macroeconomics and trade are potential areas of cooperation. However, no major summit deliverables are expected, and there will be no joint statement.