Beijing to host China, EU leaders summit next week

ISTANBUL

Beijing will host the 25th EU-China summit next week, the EU Council announced in an official statement on Friday.

EU Council President Antonio Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the leaders' summit on July 24.

Media reports had claimed earlier that the summit was planned for two days, but was truncated to only one day at Beijing's insistence.

Russia-Ukraine war, rare earths, and trade protection amid the Trump administration's tariffs are expected to be discussed during the summit.

Beijing had yet to issue a formal statement on the scheduled summit.

The 24th China-EU leaders' summit was held in Beijing in December 2023, with the attendance of former European Council President Charles Michel, von der Leyen, and China's President Xi Jinping.

Ahead of the China-EU summit, the EU leaders will have a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday in Tokyo.

Notably, an EU Parliament delegation will visit Taiwan from Monday to Wednesday to meet with Taiwanese authorities and civil society representatives, according to a statement from the parliament.

The special committee on the EU policy framework "European Democracy Shield" members will witness "Taiwan’s 'whole-of-society' approach to countering hybrid threats, foreign interference and disinformation," it said.

Early Friday, the EU sanctioned Chinese banks over trade with Russia, which Beijing has opposed, and urged the "European side" against undermining "the legitimate interests of Chinese companies without reasonable grounds."