Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.16-052636/https://www.ft.com/content/1ed0b791-a447-48f4-9c38-abbf5f2837a6

China’s President Xi Jinping has declined an initial invitation to visit Brussels for a summit to mark the 50th anniversary of ties, as the EU questions the sincerity of recent Chinese overtures.

Beijing told EU officials that China’s second-ranked leader Premier Li Qiang would meet the presidents of the European Council and Commission in Brussels for the summit rather than Xi, two people familiar with the matter said.

The hosting of EU-China summits traditionally alternates between Brussels and Beijing. The premier usually attends the summit in Brussels, and Xi hosts it in Beijing, but the EU believes the importance of this meeting — to commemorate half a century of diplomatic relations — means that China’s president should attend, the people said.

Both sides said talks continued, but the initial snub has confirmed the view among many in Brussels that China will not add concrete action to its warm words about the need to co-operate in the face of US President Donald Trump’s assault on the multilateral world order.