Crossroads After the 2025 EU-China Summit

Despite an initial rethaw of official ties earlier in the year, the 2025 EU-China Summit was marked by diplomatic frictions, cancellations, and last-minute adjustments. The meeting produced modest outcomes on export controls, climate targets, and regulatory cooperation—incremental steps with uncertain substance. Yet the narrow scope of deliverables reflected Beijing’s reluctance to address core EU concerns, while Brussels faced down parallel pressures from transatlantic trade disputes and Russia-Ukraine negotiations. More a crossroads than a jubilee for Brussels, the summit highlighted the weight of unresolved trade frictions and China’s deepening ties with Russia. Looking ahead, EU–China relations will depend less on the summit’s tentative signals than on whether Beijing heeds the EU’s reinforced red lines or simply waits out Brussels under mounting external pressures.