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China-EU ties: Premier Li Qiang commits Beijing to fruitful summit on 20th anniversary of partnership
- Li meets Charles Michel on sidelines of G20, telling him Beijing will work to strengthen dialogue and properly handle sensitive issues: Xinhua
- Much anticipated summit expected to be preceded by high-level talks in coming weeks, including between Beijing and the EU’s trade chief
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China and the European Union have agreed to work towards a successful bilateral summit later this year, which is expected to be preceded by high-level talks over the coming weeks.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday drew attention to this year’s 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Beijing and Brussels, telling European Council President Charles Michel he looked forward to co-chairing the next China-EU summit with Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Li was talking to Michel on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, according to a statement in the official Xinhua agency, as Beijing places a greater emphasis on its relations with Europe amid intensifying tensions with Washington.
03:15
US, Russia praise G20 summit declaration as India meeting closes without Putin and China’s Xi
US, Russia praise G20 summit declaration as India meeting closes without Putin and China’s Xi
It has urged the 27-member bloc to insist on strategic autonomy in the face of US efforts to create a united front with allies against China.
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In the meeting with Li, China’s No. 2 official, Michel “confirmed the shared interest” in holding the bilateral summit by the end of 2023, according to a readout by the European side.
Still, the Belgian stressed the importance of having high-level sectoral dialogues beforehand, including on trade, foreign policy and digital areas.
“High-level dialogues have an important role to play in delivering meaningful outcomes for the summit,” the EU readout said.
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