China, EU Leaders Talk Russia, Trade

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris this week to discuss trade, Russia’s war against Ukraine and other topics, von der Leyen said in a statement.

The three sides talked about “China's commitment not to provide any lethal equipment to Russia,” von der Leyen said, adding that “more effort is needed” to stop shipments of dual-use goods to Russia. “And given the existential nature of the threats stemming from this war for both Ukraine and Europe, this does affect the EU-China relations,” she said.

They also discussed the EU’s ongoing countervailing duty probe on Chinese electric vehicle batteries (see 2310040012 and 2403150047). Von der Leyen said China continues to give large subsidies to its manufacturing sector, and “combined with a domestic demand that is not increasing, the world cannot absorb China's surplus production.” Von der Leyen said she “encouraged” Xi to “address these structural overcapacities.”

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters May 7 that the three leaders had “an in-depth exchange” on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and “other international and regional issues of mutual interest.” The spokesperson added that China and the EU should “properly address economic and trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, and accommodate each other’s legitimate concerns.”