President Xi Jinping met Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in Beijing, marking 55 years of diplomatic relations. Xi described a growing China as Europe’s partner, urged dialogue to resolve trade frictions, and proposed cooperation in new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence, the digital economy and green development.
Stocker reaffirmed the one-China policy and supported dialogue on economic differences, with several cooperation documents signed. His six-day visit, the first by an Austrian chancellor in seven years, included the China International Import Expo; bilateral trade reached $12.5 billion in 2025.
On Friday, President Xi Jinping met with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in Beijing. During the meeting, Xi emphasised that a growing China is not a source of Europe’s problems, but rather a partner that can help address its challenges. He stressed the importance of resolving trade and economic frictions between China and Europe through dialogue and negotiation to achieve win‑win outcomes and common development.
Marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Austria, Xi highlighted the countries’s track record of mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation. He noted that trust and friendship have transcended differences in social systems, history, culture and development stages. The Chinese president called for consolidating political trust and sustaining high‑level exchanges to lay a solid foundation for future cooperation.
Xi outlined China’s plans for the 15th Five‑Year Plan period (2026–2030), which include fostering emerging industries, upgrading traditional ones and expanding opening‑up — with a focus on the services sector. He introduced the concept of “China Opportunity 2.0”, promising benefits from the country’s market and innovation. The president also proposed expanding cooperation with Austria in new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence, the digital economy and green development, as well as boosting people‑to‑people exchanges and easing travel.
Chancellor Stocker reaffirmed Austria’s commitment to the one‑China policy and expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, science, technology and innovation. He supported developing Europe‑China relations and called for resolving economic and trade differences through dialogue. Stocker also noted Austria’s readiness to coordinate with China on sustainable development and climate change. Premier Li Qiang added that China is ready to import more Austrian goods and expand cooperation in advanced manufacturing, while calling for a fair business environment for Chinese investors in Austria. Several cooperation documents were signed during the visit.
Stocker’s six‑day official visit — his first since taking office and the first by an Austrian chancellor in seven years — included attending the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai. Bilateral trade reached $12.5 billion in 2025, up 2 % year‑on‑year, with around 650 Austrian companies operating 900 ventures in China. According to Cui Hongjian from Beijing Foreign Studies University, recent visits by European leaders to China demonstrate strong shared economic interests and the need for dialogue, despite existing differences. Pragmatic engagement, he argued, can help identify cooperation opportunities and prevent disagreements from escalating.
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