China–European Union relations

President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen already flourishing economic ties with Hungary during a visit to Budapest on Thursday, advocating that its closest European Union ally "play a bigger role" in fostering relations between Beijing and the bloc.

The state visit to Hungary is the final leg of Xi's first European tour since 2019 that led him to France and Serbia earlier this week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is embarking on a six-day tour of Europe amidst escalating trade tensions with the European Union and concerns over China's support for Russia. The trip, Xi's first to the continent since 2019, includes visits to France, Serbia, and Hungary.

China said Wednesday European Union export policies towards Beijing do not "make sense", on the eve of a high-level summit in the Chinese capital.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Tuesday, ahead of an annual EU-China summit, that Europe won't tolerate its soaring trade imbalance with China forever.

While the president of the European Commission stressed that EU states would prefer negotiations to a trade war she left an implied threat of protectionist measures on the table.

From French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Beijing to CIA Director William Burns' visit to Saudi Arabia, the past weeks have underlined one thing: the US is standing on the sidelines merely observing events in stark contrast to US' previous role: that of global broker and policeman.

Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will participate today in a virtual meeting of European Union foreign ministers which main topics are the EU-China relations and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2018, EU exports of services to countries outside of the EU were valued at €945 billion, while extra-EU imports were valued at €795 billion. Over the last decade, EU ran a trade surplus for services, with a peak in 2018 at €149 billion, Eurostat data showed.

World Trade Organization Reform (WTO) and balancing bilateral trade will be among the key issues at the EU-China summit, to be held in Brussels on 8-9 April.

The country has withstood pressure from the West, especially from the US, to become the first G7 and EU member that jhas oined China's Belt and Road initiative - despite the European Commission refusing to do what last year.

The agreement should be signed in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative during the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.