Beijing Reaffirms Normalization of Ties With EU Ahead of July Summit

Date: 16 July 2025 - 22:08

News ID: ۱۴۱۴۹۰

BEIJING (Reuters) - China reaffirmed on Wednesday that it is normalizing ties with the European Parliament, as Beijing seeks to forge closer economic and political ties with Brussels amid flaring global trade frictions.
“In recent years, exchanges between Chinese and European legislative bodies have encountered some setbacks due to well-known reasons,” China’s foreign ministry said, referring to disputes over alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region.
“Under current circumstances, both sides believe it is very important for China and Europe to strengthen dialogue and cooperation,” spokesperson Lin Jian said, adding that Beijing and the European Parliament had decided to lift all restrictions on mutual exchanges of lawmakers.
The comments by China’s foreign ministry came after the South China Morning Post reported that Beijing had removed “restrictions” on former EU lawmaker Reinhard Buetikofer sanctioned in 2021.
The normalization of ties was first confirmed by both the European Parliament and Beijing earlier this year.
Wednesday’s remarks also came ahead of a China-EU leaders’ summit slated for later this month when the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa are expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing.
In March 2021, China blacklisted 10 EU individuals and four entities in response to Brussels’ sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.