China, EU make strides toward strengthening ties

Shared interest

"And as major powers in the world, the European Union and China have global responsibilities. We have a shared interest in peace and security, in the effective functioning of the rules-based international order, and to find solutions to global challenges," von der Leyen said.

This month's Beijing summit covered a wide range of issues from strategic bilateral relations to global governance and global and regional hot spot issues.

Lai Suetyi, an associate professor of the Center for European Studies at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said the 24 summits from 1998 to 2023 show how important China and the EU see each other.

"The return to face-to-face setting this time is definitely a positive element. Also, having the high-level people-to-people dialogue relaunched is good news," she said.

"We cannot deny that mistrust has grown in the past few years. Henceforth, dialogue becomes even more essential."

Lai dismissed the criticism on the absence of joint statement or joint news conference, and said she sees it as a maturity of the relationship.

"We should not be tied by bureaucracy, but focus on actual communication and understanding. Moreover, it demonstrates that both China and the EU walk the walk that we can respect our differences."

A new EU policy on China since March 2019 defines the latter as a cooperation partner, economic competitor and systemic rival. China has voiced strong disagreement over the term "systemic rival" since many Chinese people associate the words with hostility and confrontation.

China has emphasized the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, which marks its 20th anniversary this year.

Following the 12th round of China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue in Beijing on Oct 13, Wang said, "China and the EU are partners first and foremost, with far more consensus than differences."

Borrell said in a blog post on Dec 12 that Chinese partners pushed back against being labeled a "systemic rival" in certain areas and argued that China does not wish to engage in systemic rivalry.

"To them, the word 'rival' might convey a sense of 'enemy', a connotation that it does not have in English," Borrell wrote. "We are indeed rivals, not enemies."

The Chinese side is also dissatisfied with the new EU rhetoric about "de-risking".

Von der Leyen has repeatedly said the EU does not want to decouple from China but "de-risk". EU officials have expressed that the "de-risking" is not aimed at China, but other countries as well, including the US when the likelihood for Donald Trump winning the 2024 presidential election is high.

EU officials also argued that China's policy to achieve self-reliance in certain industries is also a "de-risking" strategy.

"That is why the European Union is working to ensure the security of its supply chains, critical infrastructure, and technological and industrial bases," von der Leyen said.