Xi Jinping and the EU

Xi Jinping’s recent stopover in Brussels added further substance and meaning to the upgrade of EU-China relations which began at the last bilateral summit in November 2013. Moreover, his decision to visit the EU institutions as part of a broader mission to Europe is a clear recognition of the Union’s growing political importance for China. While still not as important as the US in terms of bilateral ties, the EU is clearly gaining in importance for China. And the EU-China agenda is no longer exclusively dominated by economic issues, though they continue to remain the backbone of the relationship.