• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG


EU, China ties fray ahead of summit

Jul 4, 2025, 6:44am EDT
PostEmailWhatsapp
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas in Brussels, Belgium July
Yves Herman/Reuters

Ties between Beijing and Brussels appeared increasingly strained, just weeks before a high-profile summit.

China on Friday announced it would impose duties on brandy imported from the European Union — widely seen as retribution for the bloc investigating Chinese state subsidies for electric vehicles makers — and reportedly wants to scrap part of the upcoming summit.

The pair had sought to steady their ties in the face of US trade pressure, but a recent visit by China’s foreign minister to Europe laid bare their huge differences on issues ranging from trade to the war in Ukraine: Beijing’s top diplomat told his European counterpart that China could not countenance Russian defeat, the South China Morning Post and La Matinale Européenne both reported.

A chart showing the EU’s biggest goods exports markets.
AD
AD