EU officials to visit China as October deadline for trade talks approaches
A delegation of EU officials will travel to China in the coming days to push forward trade talks ahead of an October deadline, as Brussels seeks tangible progress on narrowing a record trade deficit. Negotiations have grown tense after China barred firms from cooperating with an EU probe.
A group of European Union officials will travel to China in the coming days to advance technical trade talks, Euronews has learned. Brussels hopes the discussions will produce tangible results by October, when EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is also expected to visit China.
The EU's goal is to narrow its trade deficit with China, which has reached a record level of roughly €1 billion per day. Talks between the European Commission and Beijing, launched in June, have grown tense in recent weeks after China barred companies from providing information to Brussels in an investigation under the EU's Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which targets unfair subsidies from abroad.
On 19 August, China's Ministry of Justice stated that no organisation or individual may carry out or assist what it called improper extraterritorial measures, referring to the EU's investigation into Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com over its €2.5 billion bid for German electronics retailer Ceconomy.
Investigations continue
An OECD report published earlier this year found that Chinese state subsidies to companies can be up to eight times higher than those in OECD member states. The EU is also grappling with a surge of cheap Chinese imports that is squeezing European industry.
Despite the sensitivity of the talks, Brussels has not paused its investigations into what it considers unfair Chinese trade practices, opening several anti-dumping cases over the summer. The Commission is acting under a mandate from EU member states, who at a summit in June asked President Ursula von der Leyen to review the bloc's trade defence tools and pursue dialogue with Beijing.
The process began when Šefčovič met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, in Brussels, formally opening negotiations. Both sides agreed to set up a joint monitoring mechanism to exchange data and track trade flows, aiming to improve transparency and mutual trust.
Market access remains a key issue: China accuses the EU of shutting out Chinese companies through new regulations, while EU states want greater access to the Chinese market. October was also chosen because it marks the end of a one-year truce on China's rare earth exports, halted earlier during its trade war with the US — materials the EU considers essential for its green technology, automotive and defence sectors.
