China in Europe: September 2025
Wang Visits Central Europe: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi toured Austria, Poland, and Slovenia between September 12 and 16. His visit to Warsaw came days after Russian drones entered Polish airspace, an event Poland described as a deliberate provocation. Against that backdrop, Wang met with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. According to the Chinese statements, Wang conveyed President Xi Jinping’s greetings, and the two sides “exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis” as Wang urged Poland to play a “constructive role” in a political settlement to end the war. The Polish readout outlined how Sikorski “drew the Chinese side’s attention to Russia’s destabilizing actions and raised the issue of Russian drones intruding into Polish airspace.” China’s outreach underscored Poland’s dual role as both a key NATO frontline state and a critical link in China’s Belt and Road rail corridor, particularly through the Małaszewicze logistics hub on the Belarus border, which is critical for trade by rail between China and Europe.
Rare-Earth Shortages: Two months after the July China-EU summit and the agreement to fast-track rare-earth export licenses from China to Europe, European companies continued to suffer severe disruptions in access to the critical minerals. As of September 9, only 19 of 141 European applications for rare-earth shipments had been approved, according to the European Chamber of Commerce in China. Chamber President Jens Eskelund warned that “it’s fair to say we have not seen a material shift since the summit.” Eskelund also added, “We have a number of members who are right now suffering significant losses because of these bottlenecks.” China’s export controls, first introduced in April, have caused shutdowns in Europe’s automotive sector.
U.S. Leaves Anti-Disinformation Program: The United States informed Europe that it would withdraw from a joint initiative to counter foreign disinformation. The program especially targeted China, Iran, and Russia. In early September, a U.S. State Department notice informed European capitals that the 2014 memoranda of understanding to unify American and European approaches to disinformation had been nullified. The initiative was managed by the Global Engagement Center (GEC) within the State Department, although the GEC was formally dismantled in late 2024. Former GEC head James Rubin described the decision as a “unilateral act of disarmament” in the information war with China and Russia. The Trump administration’s acting undersecretary for public diplomacy commented, “Not only was GEC’s infamous censorship activity profoundly misaligned with this administration’s pro-free speech position, it was woefully and embarrassingly ineffective on its own terms.” NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly simultaneously released a report warning that Chinese disinformation had intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that “beyond promoting pro-Chinese narratives and suppressing criticism of the regime, disinformation emanating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) now aims to destabilise, discredit, and weaken NATO countries.” The report also highlighted how Beijing’s growing coordination with Moscow and rapid advances in artificial intelligence have magnified the reach and sophistication of pro-Beijing narratives across Europe.
UK Espionage Case Collapse: Prosecutors dropped espionage charges against two men accused of spying for China in the British House of Commons. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle warned that the decision “leaves the door open to foreign actors trying to spy on the House. This door must be closed hard.” The Crown Prosecution Service explained that the 1911 Official Secrets Act, under which the men had been charged, required evidence that China was legally an “enemy” and a threat to Britain’s national security, which the prosecutors could not prove. The collapse of the trial sparked criticism from across the political spectrum, calls for a stricter national security framework, and suspicions of political interference. Beijing denied all allegations, calling them “malicious slander.”
Tariffs on EU Pork: Beijing escalated its trade dispute with the European Union by imposing provisional antidumping duties of up to 62.4 percent on EU pork imports beginning September 10. The move, announced by China’s Ministry of Commerce, followed the EU’s imposition of tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese-made electric vehicles in July. The Chinese investigation, which began in mid-2024, concluded that European exporters had “dumped” pork products at unfairly low prices, harming China’s domestic producers. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain were hit hardest, given their large pork export volume to China. The European farm lobby Copa and Cogeca said, “It is unacceptable that European pigmeat producers are being forced to pay the price for political trade disputes.” The duties add to a series of tit-for-tat tariffs between Beijing and Brussels, such as previous incidents over brandy and dairy.
Li and von der Leyen in New York: At the UN General Assembly, Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss economic cooperation amid escalating trade tensions. Von der Leyen reiterated European concerns over Chinese subsidies, overcapacity, and market access but praised China’s “willingness to engage with us in a spirit of mutual understanding.” Li urged the EU to “demonstrate responsibility and maintain strategic independence.”
U.S.-China Trade Talks in Spain: Senior U.S. and Chinese officials met in Madrid to address the divestiture deadline for TikTok and ongoing tariff disputes. The discussions followed July’s meeting in Stockholm, where both sides extended a ninety-day tariff truce that temporarily eased tensions and reopened the flow of rare earths to the United States. The current Spanish government was attacked by President Donald Trump for impeding arms sales to Israel and received backlash from NATO members on both sides of the Atlantic for its controversial exemption from the NATO pledge to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense and security by 2035. Spain viewed the U.S.-China talks as a chance to bolster relations with the United States. At the same time, the current Spanish government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been one of the most consistently pro-China voices in the EU.
China and UK Trade Talks: Britain’s new Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle traveled to Beijing in mid-September for the first China-UK Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting since 2018. The talks sought to remove trade barriers worth an estimated £1 billion ($1.35 billion) over five years. Kyle emphasized that China was “unignorable” and that engagement was essential for British economic growth.
ECB and PBOC Extend Currency Swap: The European Central Bank (ECB) and the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) renewed their bilateral euro–renminbi currency swap arrangement for another three years, maintaining a €45 billion/¥350 billion ceiling through October 2028. Originally established in 2013, the swap line functions as a backstop against sudden liquidity shortages in renminbi markets and supports euro area banks involved in China-related transactions.
Italy Courts Chinese Investment: Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini spoke to China’s state media Xinhua to promote deeper cooperation with China in the automotive and infrastructure industries. Salvini lauded China’s technological advances in autonomous driving and high-speed rail, emphasizing that “the two countries enjoy broad prospects for cooperation in automobiles, smart roads and other transport-related areas.” His comments built on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s July 2024 trip, during which Italy reaffirmed its intention to leave the Belt and Road Initiative while pledging to continue bilateral economic engagement.
