Coronavirus pandemic mires European Union’s market drive into China

Germany’s plan to spearhead European Union efforts to gain more access to China’s markets looks to be at risk of stalling as the  Covid-19 pandemic upends economies.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel planned to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to Leipzig in September for a first-of-a-kind summit with the 27 EU heads of state or government, plus the presidents of the EU Commission and Council. But the meeting is not listed on Germany’s official outline of priorities for its presidency of the EU Council, which it takes up in the second half of the year. On the weekend, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said it was too early to say if the summit with Xi was still on.

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