China Abruptly Cancels Two High-Level Meetings with the EU
Alina Collins
China cancelled two senior-level dialogues with the EU this month without explanation — a move widely read as Beijing's sharp rebuke of the bloc's escalating restrictions on Chinese exports, days before an EU summit set to review a tougher China stance.
What exactly was cancelled?
Two dialogues scheduled in Beijing were pulled: a ministerial-level digital-affairs meeting and a session involving Olof Skoog, deputy secretary-general of the EU's foreign-affairs arm.
China gave no reason. This means → Beijing chose to let the silence itself carry the message, rather than issue a formal complaint.
The tactic is not one-sided: the EU itself refused to hold a flagship economic meeting with Beijing ahead of last July's summit, citing lack of progress on trade disputes.
Why this particular timing?
EU leaders convene in Brussels next week for a European Council summit. The agenda includes "competitiveness and global economic challenges" — widely expected to cover a harder line on China.
Belgian PM Bart De Wever put it bluntly: "They call it geoeconomic imbalances — they just won't name China, because we're too scared to do so."
In plain terms = Beijing pulled the meetings before the summit, effectively showing its hand early — a reminder that escalation carries a price.
How bad is the trade friction?
From January to May, Chinese exports to the EU rose 16.4% year-on-year. The EU's trade deficit now runs at roughly €1 billion per day. The European Commission last month called that pace "unsustainable."
Brussels is pressing on multiple fronts: threatening fresh tariffs on Chinese goods (autos in particular), launching three anti-dumping probes in June, and advancing the Industrial Accelerator Act — a bill that would bar some Chinese products from public procurement and restrict Chinese acquisitions of European companies.
Cybersecurity rules are tightening too — the Commission plans to exclude Huawei and other Chinese firms from telecom networks and solar systems, and has already blocked public funding for imported inverters.
How has Beijing responded?
Xinhua commented: "Beijing does not want a trade war with the EU, but will take resolute countermeasures if the bloc further targets Chinese enterprises or products."
The Global Times added: "The EU should not — and cannot afford to — wage a 'trade war' with China."
This reflects a dual-track strategy: talk peace, act tough — verbal reassurance paired with cancelled meetings and legislative countermoves.
Are diplomatic channels shut?
Not entirely. The Commission said the cancelled meetings are "being rescheduled" and stressed that engagement continues at multiple levels.
On June 9, EU trade chief Ditte Juul Jørgensen met China's Vice Commerce Minister Ling Ji in Brussels. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected in Europe in late June.
This means → both sides are arguing and talking at the same time — the cancellations are leverage, not a diplomatic rupture.
What else is Beijing preparing?
In April, China issued Decrees 834 and 835, targeting extraterritorial jurisdiction — when a foreign government uses sanctions to reach across borders and constrain Chinese firms.
A newly enacted outbound direct-investment law also contains counter-clauses aimed at discriminatory foreign restrictions.
In plain terms = Beijing is not just posturing diplomatically — it is building legal infrastructure so that if EU measures land, ready-made retaliation tools are already in place.
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