China, EU leaders agree on need for 'balanced' trade ties

But no sign of progress in getting Beijing to use influence on Russia to end Ukraine war

BEIJING - China and the European Union agreed that their trade relationship should be more balanced at their first in-person summit in four years on Dec 7, but gave no sign of resolving differences on a range of issues.

Pressing Beijing over the EU's big trade deficit with China, EU leaders said Europe would not tolerate "unfair competition" from China, and Beijing warned the EU that it expected prudence from Brussels when introducing "restrictive" trade policies.

There was no sign that the EU had made any progress in persuading China to use its influence on Russia more to end the Ukraine war a source of tension in EU-China ties and to help stop Moscow getting around sanctions over the war.

China and the EU have a shared interest in a stable and constructive relationship based on respect for the international rule-based order, European Council president Charles Michel told a press conference after the EU delegation met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

"We need to make our trade and economic relationship more reciprocal and balanced," Mr Michel said, adding that the bloc expects China to take more concrete actions to increase market access for foreign companies.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the sides discussed root causes of their trade imbalance, from a lack of access to the Chinese market, to preferential treatment for Chinese firms, to overcapacities in Chinese production.