Head Of European Union And Chinese PM Emphasize Cooperation Amid Trump's Tariff Impact

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when meeting Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang. (Liu Bin / Xinhua)

JAKARTA - EU Head Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang stressed cooperation in their meeting in New York, as the two sides with the third-largest and second-largest economies in the world seek to ease trade tensions amid US President Donald Trump's tariff pressure.

Von der Leyen, in a statement on his X-count after Wednesday's meeting, said it had discussed the trade issue with the Bamboo Curtain Country Leader on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, appreciating China's "availability to cooperate with us in the spirit of mutual understanding."

"Europe's concerns regarding export controls, market access, and excess capacity are well known," he said, quoted by Reuters on September 25.

China and the European Union have spent the past two years on the verge of a trade war, which most analysts have traced back to the European Commission's decision in 2023 to open anti-subsidized investigations into Chinese-made electric vehicles, prompting investigations into BRendies, dairy products, pork and other EU goods.

However, with President Trump's trade policy that suppresses exports of China and Europe, Beijing and Brussels have reason to seek a recovery in relations.

Meanwhile, PM Li Qiang said he hoped China and the European Union could "highly uphold their initial aspirations to establish diplomatic relations," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"He also expressed hope that the European Union will fulfill its commitment to safeguarding open trade markets and investment," the ministry said.

"As two important poles in the world, China and the European Union must show responsibility and maintain strategic independence," the statement added.

Chinese trade officials struggled to negotiate with Washington and Brussels simultaneously, with foreign industry groups complaining of a long delay while bureaucrats working for hours on controversial issues such as rare earth metal export permits.

Meanwhile, the European Commission, which stipulates a trade policy for the 27-member bloc, has difficulty achieving consensus among its members after 10 countries supported Chinese electric vehicle rates last October, 12 abstain countries, and five countries opposed Germany, Europe's largest economy.

China is also becoming increasingly central in Europe's strategic calculations of war-related wars in Ukraine, diplomats say, with many view President Xi Jinping's influence on President Vladimir Putin and Beijing's role as Russia's economic savior as a more plausible way to peace than President Trump's unpredictable foreign policy.

Von der Leyen said he had asked "Chigko to use his influence to end the killings and encourage Russia to negotiate."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry's statement did not mention any conflict on the European border.

"Now is the time for diplomacy. This will send a strong signal to the world," concluded Von der Leyen.