Seeking global role, China presses Europe in diplomatic push

Brussels

SEIZING on the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Beijing has launched a diplomatic offensive to move Sino-European relations beyond trade and raise China's international profile, buoyed by its success winning European participation in a new Asian bank.

A two-day visit by European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to Beijing on Tuesday to meet top Chinese officials, including Premier Li Keqiang, follows up on a visit by the head of the European Parliament in March and comes ahead of a China-EU summit in Brussels in June.

Beijing has organised a series of diplomatic events in Brussels, the EU's de facto capital, mostly in May and June, including c…