European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made some of her strongest criticisms of China to date on Tuesday, laying into Beijing’s stance on Russia and its policies on trade.
The speech at the European Parliament was designed to set out the hawkish German’s stall ahead of a major showdown with China’s leaders in two weeks. It showed that from the European perspective, the outlook for that summit is getting increasingly gloomy.
What was supposed to be a two-day summit has been reduced to one, according to diplomatic sources.
A second day in Hefei where the sides were slated to meet with business groups was cancelled at Beijing’s request.
Two sources said discussions have now moved to hosting the round table in Beijing on July 24 – the same day as the summit.
It is thought that Hefei, a city in Anhui province, was chosen to generate some positive mood music ahead of the summit.
