Overview

• Wang Yi told EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas in a four-hour Brussels meeting that China opposes a Russian defeat in Ukraine for fear it would free the U.S. to focus on countering Beijing.
• He denied any material military or financial support for Russia’s war effort, arguing that such aid would have ended the conflict long ago.
• Wang Yi warned that including two small Chinese banks in the EU’s 18th sanctions package could prompt Chinese countermeasures.
• China’s export restrictions on rare earth elements and magnets have halted some European manufacturing lines and been used as leverage in talks.
• Beijing floated shortening the July 24–25 EU–China summit to a single day in Beijing to signal its frustration with current EU policies.