As agreed between China and the European Union (EU), President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit China on July 24. Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a meeting with them, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday in Beijing.

The ministry said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang and the two EU leaders will jointly chair the 25th China-EU Summit.

Detailing the upcoming summit at a regular press briefing, the ministry's spokesperson Guo Jiakun said as changes unseen in a century are accelerating in a turbulent world, and unilateralism and bullying practices have dealt a heavy blow to international order and rules, humanity once again stands at a critical juncture.

As two major forces in building a multipolar world, two big markets that support globalization, and two great civilizations that advocate cultural diversity, the upcoming China-EU Summit is of great significance and receives international attention, Guo noted.

Over the past half a century, despite winds and rains, China-EU ties have grown more mature and stable, becoming one of the most influential bilateral relations in the world, he said, adding that bilateral cooperation has borne fruitful results, which gives a boost to each other's development and progress, delivers tangibly for nearly 2 billion Chinese and EU people, greatly contributes to world peace and development, and sets an example of mutually beneficial cooperation in the era of economic globalization.

Guo said that (over the past 50 years) China-EU annual trade volume has jumped from $2.4 billion to $785.8 billion, and two-way investment stock has grown from nearly zero to $260 billion.

He noted the more frequent people-to-people exchanges and the effective coordination and cooperation in climate response and other areas.

Meanwhile, the relationship does face some challenges, Guo pointed out, noting that some in the EU have played up the "partner-competitor-rival" characterization of bilateral relations, exaggerated specific economic and trade issues, and groundlessly accused China on the Ukraine issue, which cause unnecessary disruptions to bilateral relations.

China, as always, believes that after 50 years of development, China-EU ties have accumulated enough experience and positivity, which enables the two sides to navigate difficulties and challenges in an ever-changing world, he said.

"With the 25th China-EU Summit around the corner, bilateral relations are at a critical juncture of building on the past achievements and opening up a new chapter," the spokesperson said, adding that China hopes the EU will work with China, and view its relations with China from a comprehensive, dialectical and forward-looking perspective.

Guo also called for drawing experience and inspiration from bilateral relations over the past 50 years, meeting the expectations of the two peoples and the international community, and rising above differences to plan for the cooperation in the next 50 years, and open up a brighter future for the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

(Cover: The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China. /VCG)

source:https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-07-21/EU-leaders-to-visit-China-and-hold-the-25th-China-EU-Summit-1Fbl1hOxCQo/p.html