Latest news with #EUChinaRelations
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Chinese, EU Trade Heads to Meet as Trump Tariff Tensions Rise
Top trade officials from the European Union and China are planning to meet again early next month, another sign that both sides are stepping up engagements as they try to push back against tariff pressure from Donald Trump. Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic are set to meet on the sidelines of a WTO ministerial meeting in Paris in early June, according to a spokesperson for the EU. The news was earlier reported by Chinese state media Global Times.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
EU threatens to walk away from trade showdown with China over lack of progress
The European Union is willing to walk away from crunch trade talks with China if meaningful progress is not made, its ambassador to Beijing suggested on Friday. Advertisement The two sides are discussing the EU's tariffs on Chinese imports of electric vehicles with a view to setting a minimum price, as well as Chinese investments in the EV supply chain. However, the ambassador, Jorge Toledo, warned during a panel discussion: 'We are having technical negotiations in Brussels … They are not making progress. 'They are not making progress so much so that we were supposed to hold the high-level economic [and] trade dialogue, and I'm afraid we are not going to hold it because … in order to hold it, we need progress. We need deliverables.' The economic dialogue is one of a series of meetings supposed to take place in the run-up to a summit slated for July 24 in Beijing. Advertisement These preliminary events are supposed to be used to agree the agenda for the summit and produce outcomes that the leaders can announce – at least in theory, although in recent years the main event has seen more sparring than deal making.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
EU ‘has no interest' in reviving stalled investment deal with China, says trade official
The European Union has 'no intention' of trying to revive a stalled investment deal with China, according to a senior diplomatic official, who insisted the focus should be on making 'progress on existing problems' instead. Advertisement Marjut Hannonen, head of trade for the European Union's delegation in Beijing, told a panel discussion on Wednesday that trade ties with China have 'steadily deteriorated' in the past 15 to 20 years as it put in place more barriers for business. Chinese officials, including the former ambassador to the EU Fu Cong, have been lobbying to revise talks on the stalled Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). The agreement was initially touted as a landmark deal between the two sides, but in 2021 the European Parliament voted to delay ratification over a round of tit-for-tat sanctions triggered by alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, accusations Beijing denies. Recently, ties between the EU and Beijing have shown some signs of thawing and last month Chinese sanctions on five members of the European Parliament and on the Parliament's subcommittee on human rights were lifted – prompting speculation that Beijing was hoping to revive talks on the deal. Advertisement But when asked about the suggestion that negotiations on the investment deal could resume, Hannonen said: 'The European side has no interest in doing anything on the CAI. There are no intentions in this direction.
South China Morning Post
10-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Why EU-China stability is key in a world order ‘under constant attack'
A former top European Union official has urged the bloc to manage its competition with China responsibly, saying their relationship should not be influenced by other world powers. Advertisement Charles Michel, who was president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024, said tensions could arise out of the EU and China's different traditions, cultures and political systems but 'stability and predictability is in everyone's interests'. 'We must manage our differences and competitions in a responsible way … Our divergences must be addressed with responsibility [and] sincerity,' he told a forum organised by the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai on Friday. 'A relationship should be based on its own merits. It should never be a collateral adjustment variable influenced by other powers.' The comments come amid signs of easing in strains between Europe and China, with both lifting restrictions on reciprocal exchanges – a move described by the Chinese foreign ministry as a step towards deeper interactions and understanding. Advertisement The two have also been marking 50 years this month since the establishment of diplomatic relations. As part of the milestone, Chinese President Xi Jinping this week wrote to EU leaders calling for a 'sound and stable' relationship that would benefit both sides and the world.
Free Malaysia Today
09-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
EU envoy says China not taking trade barriers seriously
EU's ambassador Jorge Toledo said China was not doing enough to create a fair-trading environment. (EPA Images pic) SHANGHAI : The European Union's ambassador said on Friday that China was not doing enough to create a fair-trading environment for EU companies, as the world navigates economic turmoil sparked by US tariffs. Beijing has said its ties with Europe bring 'precious stability' after US President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on trading partners across the globe, with Beijing singled out for levies of up to 245% for some goods. But, the bloc has a fraught relationship with the Asian power, with EU countries imposing restrictions on Chinese investment on sensitive industries and levying extra tariffs on China's electric cars. 'We have not been taken seriously when it comes to trade barriers,' EU ambassador Jorge Toledo said at an event on Shanghai. 'Market access barriers are not going down. They're going up.' 'We strongly feel that we not only do not have a level playing field for our companies in China, that the situation is not improving… there is something that has to be done,' Toledo said. Beijing is the EU's second-largest trading partner after the US, but European companies have long complained that local firms receive favourable treatment in the Chinese market. A study last year found that European companies in China were facing challenges stemming from a politicised business climate. The 'general sentiment of uncertainty' was pushing three-quarters of European companies to review their exposure to China, the EU chamber of commerce found in the report.
