A delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Chair David McAllister, will visit Beijing and Shanghai from 21 to 23 July 2026 for high-level meetings with Chinese authorities, the EEAS announced on 20 July. The eight-member delegation will address geopolitical tensions, economic imbalances, Russia's war in Ukraine, human rights in China, and Indo-Pacific stability, as well as shared interests such as multilateralism, public health, and climate diplomacy.
The visit is one of the most significant foreign policy engagements by the committee in its current term. It follows a trip by Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee in late March 2026, and a delegation of MEPs who travelled to China in May for the 43rd EU-China Inter-Parliamentary Meeting. The International Trade Committee is expected to visit later in 2026.
MEPs will meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the National People's Congress leadership and its foreign affairs committee, and the International Department of the Communist Party of China. They will also hold discussions with EU diplomatic missions in Beijing and scholars at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In Shanghai, meetings with municipal authorities and local tech companies will focus on tech sovereignty, competition, and global governance of artificial intelligence.
The delegation includes David McAllister (EPP, Germany), Engin Eroglu (Renew Europe, Germany), Nicolás Pascual de la Parte (EPP, Spain), Javi López (S&D, Spain), Lucia Annunziata (S&D, Italy), Jaroslav Bžoch (PfE, Czechia), Adam Bielan (ECR, Poland), and Hilde Vautmans (Renew Europe, Belgium), the committee's standing rapporteur on China.