European Commission: European and China Beijing

european commission: Yet, days after the European Council debated that proposal, Italy hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping, and during his visit Rome officially joined the Belt and Road initiative BRI the first Group of Seven member and the largest European government to do so, according to The Japan Times. A split among its members will undercut EU efforts to take a hard line toward China Beijing is already doing its best to foster such divisions. Last month, the European Commission published a plan to reorient European Union's economic relations with China, calling for a tougher, more skeptical policy toward Beijing. The EU-China comprehensive strategic partnership includes an annual summit, regular ministerial meetings and over 60 sectoral dialogues. Trade between the two topped 360 billion and China enjoyed a trade surplus in goods of 200.4 billion in 2017. ; That deficit alarms European businesses, who have joined the international chorus accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices. The defining feature of this relationship is its economic dimension China is the EU's second-biggest trading partner behind the United States and the EU is China's biggest trading partner. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.