In the morning of 6 April, President Ursula von der Leyen attended a meeting with Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and representatives from different European industries present in China.

Later, Premier Li Qiang received President Ursula von der Leyen for a meeting and a working lunch. With Premier Li, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen discussed how to rebalance our trade: European companies have so much to offer China. But they need a level-playing field to invest and provide their goods and services. The economies of the EU and China are strongly interconnected, but the EU trade deficit is increasing due to discriminatory practices.

In the afternoon, President Ursula von der Leyen with President Emmanuel Macron met with President Xi Jinping. This meeting was an opportunity to also address the imbalances in our economic relations and look at cooperation on pressing global issues like Russia’s war and global change climate. President von der Leyen highlighted the need to address imbalances and risks stemming from dependencies and export of sensitive tech, and to remain vigilant on China’s actions on Ukraine. She also stressed our concerns on human rights.

After this trilateral meeting, President von der Leyen and President Xi Jinping met in a bilateral meeting.

In the evening, President von der Leyen held a press conference at the Delegation of the European Union to China to answer questions from Chinese and foreign media about her visit. The video of the press conference and President von der Leyen’s introductory remarks are available here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_23_2147

Read more:

[Bilateral meeting between President von der Leyen and Premier Li] Statement by President von der Leyen ahead of the meeting with Chinese Premier of the State Council Li Qiang

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_23_2149

[Trilateral meeting between President von der Leyen, President Macron and President Xi] Statement by President von der Leyen ahead of the trilateral meeting with President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and French President Macron

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_23_2150

[Bilateral meeting between President von der Leyen and Presiden Xi] Statement by President von der Leyen with President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping following the trilateral meeting https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_23_2161