China seeks Austria’s help in easing China-EU tensions
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Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meeting in Beijing, China, on June 25.
PHOTO: @BMEINL/X
BEIJING - China and Austria should respect each other’s “core interests” and work to improve China-EU ties, Beijing’s top diplomat told his Austrian counterpart on June 25, as disputes over trade, market access and Russia strain relations with Brussels.
“The correct positioning of China-Europe relations is as partners, not rivals,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, during a meeting with Austria’s Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Beijing, an official Chinese readout showed.
The Austrian foreign minister is on a five-day visit to China - and for her third meeting in a year with Wang - at a time when Beijing is seeking direct channels with individual European capitals amid wobbly China-EU relations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) welcoming Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger to Beijing on June 25.
PHOTO: @BMEINL/X
Last week, EU officials said views were gradually converging among the bloc’s 27 members on the need to curb its widening trade deficit with China and reduce its reliance on Beijing for rare earths and other critical supplies.
China’s goods trade surplus with the EU hit €360.6 billion (S$530 billion) in 2025, up 15 per cent from 2024. But EU members have differing views on how to respond.
Countries including France favour a firmer approach, while Germany, the bloc’s largest exporter, and Spain, which has drawn growing Chinese investment, have taken a more cautious stance.
Austria appears to lean towards the cautious side, as some Chinese automakers including Xpeng look to Austrian contract manufacturers as a foothold for European production.
Around 650 Austrian firms also operate in China.
In a social media post on Sept 23, Meinl-Reisinger said Austria’s approach to China is “consistent, pragmatic, and European”.
“Our aim is to strengthen European sovereignty, free ourselves from dependencies, and at the same time maintain stable trade relations with China based on fair, reliable, and rules-based conditions,” she wrote.
During their June 25 meeting, Wang said Beijing “appreciates Austria’s rational and pragmatic policy towards China”.
The country “hopes Austria can continue to play a constructive role for the development of China-Europe relations,” he added. REUTERS
