China has urged the EU to join forces in resisting U.S. protectionism and safeguarding global trade, as Vice Premier He Lifeng met EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic in Beijing. While both sides seek stronger ties, the EU stresses the need to rebalance trade relations amid ongoing market access concerns.
China is willing to work with the European Union to resist protectionism, the country's economy tsar told the bloc's trade chief, in an invitation to join forces in pushing back against mounting threats of trade tariffs from the United States.
China was also willing to work with the EU to safeguard the global multilateral trading system, Vice Premier He Lifeng told Maros Sefcovic, the European Commissioner for trade, as they met in Beijing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
Both China and EU have seen their relations with the U.S sour over President Donald Trump's tariff policies. Since taking office in January, Trump has imposed 20% additional tariffs on all Chinese imports.
On Wednesday, Trump said he would impose new tariffs on imported vehicles in a move that would batter European automakers, particularly German car producers, which count on the United States for almost 25% of their auto exports.
"We have mutual interest in addressing our bilateral and global issues as well as our differences," Sefcovic wrote in an X post about his meeting with He.
The EU should safeguard its interests and make the "rational choice" of turning further towards China, given the uncertainty generated by the new administration in the U.S., China's state-run Global Times wrote in an editorial published late on Wednesday.
"As the uncertainty of U.S. policy increases, China, as a major global power, is becoming increasingly prominent for its stability and reliability," the nationalist tabloid wrote.
But the EU also has concerns about its economic ties with China, its second-largest trading partner, including EU complaints about a lack of reciprocal access to procurement opportunities, market access barriers and issues related to cross-border data transfers.
"We need to tangibly rebalance our trade and investment relations," Sefcovic said in his X post.
The Chinese vice premier said China was willing to strengthen dialogue and handle economic and trade differences.
The Chinese readout of their meeting gave no details on what moves China might make to narrow those differences.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to visit China this week to strengthen trade ties and attract tourists and students, while also addressing complex security and defence issues.
China and Kazakhstan on Monday (16 June) signed 24 intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements aimed at expanding cooperation across a broad range of sectors, setting the stage for closer bilateral ties ahead of the 2nd Central Asia–China Summit in Astana.
Kazakhstan has named China’s CNNC as a strategic partner in its nuclear power expansion plans, signaling deeper energy cooperation between the two countries.
China has expanded its nuclear arsenal at the fastest rate of any nation, reaching an estimated 600 warheads by early 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Scientists at the South China University of Technology have engineered a new ceramic material that pushes the boundaries of heat resistance, a development with major implications for hypersonic flight, rocket engines, and energy production.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Afrim Gashi, President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, expressing satisfaction over bilateral ties and future cooperation opportunities.
Israel’s military has announced that SEPAH General Ali Shadmani, head of Iran’s “Khatam al-Anbiya” central command headquarters, was killed in an airstrike on Tehran.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to visit China this week to strengthen trade ties and attract tourists and students, while also addressing complex security and defence issues.
Central banks around the world expect their gold holdings as a proportion of their reserves to increase over the next five years while expecting their dollar reserves to be lower, a survey by the World Gold Council (WGC) showed.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang "on special instructions" from President Vladimir Putin. During his visit, he is expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the Russian Security Council.
Pakistan will begin its first freight train service to Russia from Lahore on June 22. The route is part of the INSTC and aims to connect Pakistan's rail network with Central Asia, establishing a new trade corridor via Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.
Israeli strikes have reportedly targeted areas near the residences of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the New York Times, citing local witnesses.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has cancelled certain flights scheduled for 13th and 14th June amid recent escalation of situation in the Middle East and the closure of airspace in several countries for security reasons.
The Israeli military has issued an evacuation advisory for Iranian civilians living near weapons production sites and associated infrastructure within Iran. The message was shared on the social media platform X in both Arabic and Farsi by an official military spokesperson.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has urged the European Union to impose an arms embargo on Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza and called for renewed talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Israel’s military has announced that SEPAH General Ali Shadmani, head of Iran’s “Khatam al-Anbiya” central command headquarters, was killed in an airstrike on Tehran.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to visit China this week to strengthen trade ties and attract tourists and students, while also addressing complex security and defence issues.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang "on special instructions" from President Vladimir Putin. During his visit, he is expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the Russian Security Council.
A major wave of Russian drones and missiles struck Kyiv early Tuesday, killing 14 people, including a U.S. citizen, and injuring dozens as the capital faced one of the largest attacks since the war began.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Afrim Gashi, President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, expressing satisfaction over bilateral ties and future cooperation opportunities.
Israel’s military has announced that SEPAH General Ali Shadmani, head of Iran’s “Khatam al-Anbiya” central command headquarters, was killed in an airstrike on Tehran.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to visit China this week to strengthen trade ties and attract tourists and students, while also addressing complex security and defence issues.
Central banks around the world expect their gold holdings as a proportion of their reserves to increase over the next five years while expecting their dollar reserves to be lower, a survey by the World Gold Council (WGC) showed.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang "on special instructions" from President Vladimir Putin. During his visit, he is expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the Russian Security Council.
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