EU and China to resume trade talks ahead of July summit

The European Union and China will hold a new round of trade talks this month, ahead of a planned EU-China summit in July, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met on the sidelines of the OECD ministerial in Paris to arrange the talks. A Commission spokesperson said the EU’s main goal remains to rebalance trade and investment relations with China and ensure a level playing field.

At a separate WTO meeting, Wang emphasized China’s strong support for the multilateral trading system and urged the WTO to take a greater role in supervising unilateral tariffs while promoting fair and objective policy proposals.

Wang also highlighted pragmatic discussions with Canada’s trade minister to resolve economic differences through dialogue and deepen cooperation.

This upcoming round of talks marks the fourth since the EU increased its scrutiny of Chinese subsidies and trade practices, addressing concerns over growing imbalances in market access and investment.

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