As the European Union braces for rocky ties with its ally the United States, its top official has left the door open for a thaw in relations with China.
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For the second time in a fortnight, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – seen as the continent’s most prominent China hawk – said there was space to deepen trade ties and even “find agreements” with Beijing, in “an era of hyper-competitive and hyper-transactional geopolitics”.
“We will keep de-risking our economic relationship – as we have been doing in recent years. But there is also room to engage constructively with China – and find solutions in our mutual interest,” von der Leyen said in a speech before the EU’s diplomatic corps in Brussels.
“I think we can find agreements that could even expand our trade and investment ties. It is a fine line that we need to walk. But it can lead us to a fairer and more balanced relationship with one of the world’s economic giants. And that can make sense for Europe,” she continued.
The speech represents a significant softening in tone from the European Commission, forced by what von der Leyen described as “this hot-headed world” following the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House.
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For the past four years, she has steered the EU on a more assertive direction on China, vowing to tackle Beijing’s trade imbalances and penalise it for providing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.