Coming on the 50th anniversary of Chinese-European diplomatic relations, the summit is half a century of collaboration in the making. From trade to security, climate policy to artificial intelligence, leaders on both sides now confront a world which is increasingly shaped by polarisation. But this summit is a glimmer of hope: that mutual respect and a pragmatic partnership can still shape the future.
A Diplomacy Milestone — and Then Some
The 25th China-EU Summit, meant to deepen dialogue not only in politics and economy but in the exchanges with human dimension, will not be achieved just in a dialog, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a press conference held recently. European leaders will also gather with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang for high-level discussions, with deals expected in areas ranging from culture to tourism.
While economic realignment and geopolitical strategy have been the main themes, tourism has become one of the summit’s key low-key themes. As Europe and China all set to increase people-to-people visits following a slowdown in pandemic times, officials are looking forward to reopening travel corridors, proposing new visa facilitation measures and expanding cooperation among travel operators and cultural institutions.
Tourism Becomes the New Support Pillar of China-Europe Relations
Europe and China have had a strong history in tourism. Before the pandemic, millions of Chinese tourists came to European culture capitals like Paris, Rome and Vienna annually. Meanwhile, European visitors flocked to China’s culture-rich cities like Xi’an, Hangzhou and Chengdu. These flows were not a mere factor of G.D.P.; they were the human heartbeat of diplomacy.
Based on the figures from China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Europe claimed 15% share of the Chinese outbound long-haul arrivals in 2019. With this in mind, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs points to the fact that tourism from China was worth over €14bn a year to the EU economy before 2020.
It is not just an economic imperative to reinstate them. It’s about resurrecting the soft power of cultural exchange — visitors strolling the halls of the Louvre, sipping espresso in Rome, marveling at the Great Wall.
Adoption Policy and Visa Reform to Enhance Travel opportunities
A reduction in visa restrictions is one of the expected results of the summit. China has already expanded visa-free entry for EU citizens of some countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. The list is likely to expand in future bilateral agreements, with the aim of facilitating longer, more spontaneous trips.
Meanwhile, proposals include easier group travel approvals, the growth of student exchanges and opening new direct flights between China’s secondary cities and leading European capitals. The measures are designed to help both business and leisure travel, and drive tourism spending outside the typical hotspots.
Green and Smart Tourism: Commonalities in the Quest for Sustainability
Both China and the EU have tied their visions for tourism closely with green and digital transitions. Go green: Decarbonise tourism infrastructure, support slow travel, and improve rural tourism. In line, China’s 14th FYP promotes sustainable tourism development, ecotourism zones, and digital tourism platforms.
They expect the summit to open the door for new pilot initiatives between China’s provinces and European regions. For instance, sister-region initiatives may facilitate collaborative development between China’s Sichuan and Germany’s Bavaria on nature-oriented tourism, or between Zhejiang and Italy’s Tuscany around culinary tourism activities. All of those activities not only stimulate local economies, but establish long-term goodwill between the two nations.
Cultural Heritage at the Forefront
Cultural institutions stand to gain as well. Officials have suggested co-curated museum exhibitions, arts residencies and student exchanges, including programs among institutions in Beijing, Paris, Rome and Berlin. These types of events offer stages for storytelling — of history, innovation, and common humanity.
This cultural diplomacy is vital for the expansion of tourism. The more travelers understands the meaning in the relics they see or customs they witness, the more likely they are to return, invest or advocate. Museums in both regions are developing bilingual resources and virtual exhibitions exchanges to help close geographic divides.
Economic Figures Support the Push
Trade remains the cornerstone of China-EU ties. Trade between China and the EU increased from $2.4 billion in 1975 to $785.8 billion in 2024. Cross-border investment flows are relatively balanced — the European Union invested $6.79 billion in China while China invested $7.09 billion in the union last year.
Tourism – part of just this flow – is a high-impact sector. “With the potential to create jobs, drive small and medium-sized enterprises and stimulate rural economies, they are a critical part of any post-pandemic recovery.” If the policy frameworks discussed at the summit are followed through, tourism receipts between the two regions could recover to 2019 levels by the end of 2026 and exceed them by 2028, experts said.
A united front in a world divided
And most important the summit is a symbolic rebuke of global fracture. China-EU cooperation serves as an example of orderly and strategic cooperation in a world where sanctions, protectionism and decoupling are prevalent trends in international relations.
Wu Jian, a professor of NEOMA Business School, stressed the need to adopt balanced diplomacy. “Sexuality now ranks with the board of trade in the sense of front-rank weapons for attack and defence.”() “Sex is now to be made so intellectual, delicate, and sweet an art, that no one who would be good company would will any more exclusively carry out this art than I would be the only person in a room who would have the right to open the door.”–Margaret Fuller, Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845) (Review here also emergent_nativepresshachette_booksmeridianteen_mercybookscruciformpresslivehopeoutstandpresshumblebeepublish) “To name oneself a woman is rather the conclusion of a long process that is not yet in sight.”__(Originally published 1956) “In a polarized world,” she observed, “Europe must defend its own interests and work towards fair global governance. This summit provides that opening.”
“It’s a wishful thinking statement,” said Cui Hongjian of Beijing Foreign Studies University, who said it would be a stretch for China to refer to Europe as a full adversary, given Beijing’s long-held desire to be seen as a helpful player that the Continent relies on. “Europe and China have more reasons to cooperate than to confront. Work together on peace in Ukraine, on global health and climate action, now that too is in both our interests.”
Final Reflection
A warm spring morning in Brussels, a young student from Hanghzou walks beneath the arches of the Cinquantenaire. Halfway around the world, in a Beijing courtyard, a professor from Paris listens to the sound of traditional guzheng music as he drinks green tea. These apparently quiet moments are what diplomacy in action really is — not on paper marked by policy but in people-to-people.
The 25th China-EU Summit is more than a meeting, it is a gate. An entry point to a better cultural exchange, smarter and greener tourism, and a collective effort toward a more inclusive, open world. In the handshakes of tourists, in the lessons between the desk in schools and in the meals across borders to digest the legacy of this summit will long outlive the concluding remarks that have been made.
Tags: Europe China, Wu Jian, NEOMA Business School, European Council European Commission 25th China-EU Summit, Tourism
