China is intensifying bilateral diplomacy to ease trade tensions with the EU, offering market access, visa facilitations, and symbolic gestures to select member states. Even as ties with Brussels sour, Beijing courts European governments aggressively. Examples include aircraft orders in France and reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain.
This week, China's foreign vice-minister Hua Chunying beamed as she presented a leading Czech lawmaker with a decorative porcelain plate—a gift signaling a possible thaw in ties between Prague and Beijing. The image set tongues wagging in Europe: a symbol that a new Chinese charm offensive towards a Europe jilted by its erstwhile ally across the Atlantic had reached even its most hawkish capitals.
China has spent the opening weeks of the year courting European governments, offering market access, visas, and symbolic gestures to selected EU member states, even as relations with Brussels continue to sour. From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, Beijing is leaning hard into bilateral diplomacy as the European Commission prepares for another confrontational year of trade action against China.
Several sources said Chinese diplomats were using these channels to disparage policies cooked up in Brussels and sow disunity among the 27-member bloc, which in recent years has pursued an increasingly tough trade and geopolitical approach to the world's second-largest economy. According to a senior EU source speaking on condition of anonymity, the charm offensive was “in full swing … they don’t like us here in Brussels but know they can get much more from the member states”.
This approach aims to soften the EU's trade push against China by engaging member states directly to undermine Brussels' unified front. Keywords include Ireland, Brussels, Beijing, African swine fever, Airbus, Europe, Czechia, EU, Antonio Costa, China, Elina Valtonen, European Commission, France, Emmanuel Macron, and Hua Chunying.
