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China says president and ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping was holding talks Thursday with visiting European Council President Charles Michel in Beijing, amid frictions over trade, Russia and Taiwan.
The official Xinhua News Agency gave no details about the discussions Thursday. However, EU officials say the one-day visit is devoted to seeking a balance between the EU’s wish for more exports to China and the need to be firm with Beijing in the defense of democracy and fundamental freedoms.
In recent years as China grew its global clout, the EU has increasingly come to see the nation as a strategic rival.
Michel’s visit is also an opportunity for the 27-member bloc to show a united front after German Chancellor OIaf Scholz made a solo visit to China in early November.
