China and EU may hold summit in Beijing at end of March, ahead of ‘17+1’ meeting
- President Xi Jinping is then expected to host Central and Eastern European countries on April 15, according to sources
- There has been ‘frustration’ among European Union officials that Beijing has placed priority on the 17+1 meeting
China and the EU are expected to hold their annual summit at the end of March, two weeks before Beijing hosts a high-profile meeting with the leaders of Central and Eastern European countries, according to two sources.
The proposed date for the EU-China Summit was March 30-31, when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang would meet the European Commission’s new leadership in Beijing, the two European sources with knowledge of the matter said.
President Xi Jinping would then host this year’s Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries meeting – known as the “17+1” for the 17 European nations that take part – in Beijing, they said. The proposed date for that summit was April 15.
Observers have said the change of host was evidence of Beijing’s efforts to upgrade its engagement with Europe amid intensifying rivalry with the United States.
But one of the sources said there had been “frustration” among European Union officials that China had placed priority on the 17+1 meeting over the EU-China Summit, which was not expected to be hosted by Xi.
The source said that EU officials, concerned about the summit between Beijing and Brussels being overshadowed, had proposed that it be held ahead of the 17+1 meeting.
