According to several sources familiar with the visit preparations, the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas plans to visit China this autumn for her first in-person meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi following tense negotiations in Brussels last summer.
This trip will also mark Kallas‘s first visit to Beijing since taking office in 2024. While the exact date has not yet been confirmed, the visit will center on a bilateral ‘strategic dialogue’—a format typically held annually, during which the parties discuss foreign policy and security issues.
Key issues on the EU’s agenda
Among the priorities on the EU‘s agenda during the visit will be China‘s relations with Russia, the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
During the previous meeting in Brussels last summer, Wang Yi surprised his European counterparts by stating that Beijing does not want Russia to lose the war against Ukraine, as this would allow the United States to focus entirely on Asia.
According to sources, the meeting began in a tense atmosphere due to minor protocol misunderstandings and a sharp opening speech by Kallas in front of the cameras, during which she raised the issue of China’s support for Russia. The mood further deteriorated when Wang Yi felt compelled to make a toast after the European side failed to do so.
Source: South China Morning Post
