Following discussions on Monday, 29 June, with Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao, the European Union’s trade representative has established an October deadline to address a significant range of trade disputes between Brussels and Beijing. The meeting served as the inaugural session of a planned series of investment and trade consultations, which both Maros Sefcovic and Wang Wentao described in a joint statement as a necessary step to stabilize and rebalance their bilateral relationship.
The officials reached an agreement to form four distinct workstreams focusing on WTO reform, intellectual property rights, export controls, and the overall balancing of trade and investment. Prior to the meeting, Chinese state media reported warnings that Beijing was prepared to suspend economic and trade ties if the negotiations continued to yield no tangible results. Echoing the importance of such outcomes, Sefcovic emphasized that the discussions were essential to prevent unnecessary tensions, labeling the ongoing dialogue as positive and constructive.
Sefcovic noted that the EU remains open for business but must actively protect its industrial base, asserting that Europe cannot accept the unsustainable growth of its trade deficit with China while pushing for a global level playing field. To monitor progress, the trade chief plans to travel to Beijing this autumn. Meanwhile, the European Commission is advancing its policy agenda to curb the influx of Chinese industrial goods, including an Industrial Accelerator Act designed to restrict some Chinese products from public procurement and limit the acquisition of European firms.
Furthermore, the commission is moving forward with updates to its Cybersecurity Act. These adjustments are expected to exclude Chinese entities, such as Huawei, from securing contracts associated with European telecommunications networks and various solar energy infrastructure projects.
