European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are speaking Friday with China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The goal of the summit is"ensuring, in a way, the neutrality of China so they don't help Russia," an EU official, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the discussions, told CNBC Tuesday.
The comments come after different heads of state urged China last week to use its influence to stop the war in Ukraine.The European Union wants to put pressure on China to be neutral with its stance over Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, sources with knowledge of the matter told CNBC ahead of a virtual meeting between Brussels and Beijing on Friday.
There is concern among western officials regarding the role that China might play in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Chinese authorities have so far refused to fully denounce Russia's unprovoked invasion of its neighbor — having abstained during a vote for a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Moscow.
The goal of the summit is"ensuring, in a way, the neutrality of China so they don't help Russia," an EU official, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the discussions, told CNBC Tuesday. The same official said that EU-China economic links and recent trade disputes might be brought up during the conversations, but"the focus is definitely on Russia."
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