EU Meets China at `Defining Moment’ Over Russia

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says today’s EU-China summit is coming at a “defining moment” for the bloc’s relationship with Beijing and the rest of the world over the ongoing war in Ukraine. Supporting Russia economically or militarily “would lead to major reputational damage for China here in Europe,” von der Leyen told us ahead of the summit. Leaders will stop short of spelling out to Chinese President Xi Jinping what type of measures the bloc could take. Even before the invasion, bilateral ties were at a low point due to Beijing’s blockade of Lithuanian products, and reciprocal sanctions triggered by human-rights complaints. Still, Brussels hopes robust trade and cooperation on issues like vaccines and food security could help convince Xi to stick with Europe.