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China's top diplomat Wang Yi heads to Europe on Monday seeking a closer relationship that can provide an "anchor of stability" in the world and act as a counterweight to the United States [...] but deep frictions remain over both the economy – including a yawning trade deficit of $357.1 billion between China and the EU – and Beijing's continuing close ties with Russia despite Moscow's war in Ukraine.
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The war in Ukraine will likely be high on the agenda, with European leaders having been forthright in condemning what they see as Beijing's support of Moscow.
China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia's more than three-year war with Ukraine.
But Western governments say Beijing's close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support, and they have urged China to do more to press Russia to end the war.
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Ties between Europe and China have also strained in recent years as the EU seeks to get tougher on what it says are unfair economic practices by Beijing.
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Tensions flared this month after the EU banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than €5 million ($5.8 million) in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market.
The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covered a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth €150 billion in the EU.
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