The European Union and China are preparing to hold their next round of trade talks in Beijing next month as Brussels pushes for progress in addressing the bloc’s growing trade imbalance with China.
The discussions follow the launch of EU-China Trade and Investment Consultations in June, when the two sides agreed to focus on trade and investment, export controls, intellectual property rights and reform of the World Trade Organization. They also agreed to establish a joint mechanism to monitor trade flows.
The upcoming talks come as the EU steps up pressure on Beijing to address what European officials describe as an increasingly unsustainable trade deficit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week that the bloc would use all available tools to rebalance its economic relationship with China.
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic has been leading negotiations with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. The two sides have been working towards what Brussels has described as tangible results on trade imbalances and other economic disputes.
The talks also cover concerns over Chinese exports, market access and export controls on critical minerals and other materials. The EU has raised particular concerns about Chinese industrial overcapacity and its impact on European manufacturers, while Beijing has rejected accusations that its trade practices are responsible for Europe’s economic difficulties.
The Beijing meeting will take place as an October deadline for progress approaches. Brussels has been seeking practical measures that could reduce trade frictions and create a more balanced economic relationship with China.
The negotiations come amid broader tensions between the two sides over market access, industrial policy and restrictions affecting strategic goods and technologies.
