Brussels sought visit to mark 50 years of ties, but move adds to scepticism about warm words from Beijing
  • Sodium_nitride@lemmygrad.ml
    7·
    13 days ago

    Beijing told EU officials that China’s second-ranked leader Premier Li Qiang would meet the presidents of the European Council and Commission in Brussels for the summit rather than Xi, two people familiar with the matter said.

    This is some nothing burger nonsense. Xi might literally just be having constipation. Who gives a shit (pun not intended)?

    • Red_Scare [he/him]@lemmygrad.ml
      4·
      12 days ago

      To add to it,

      The hosting of EU-China summits traditionally alternates between Brussels and Beijing. The premier usually attends the summit in Brussels, and Xi hosts it in Beijing, but the EU believes the importance of this meeting — to commemorate half a century of diplomatic relations — means that China’s president should attend

      So actually China is sending the exact same person who always attends the summit in Brussels. Which for EU means Xi snubbed them. Peak western diplomacy.