The head of the European Parliament committee called on the EU to take action against China if negotiations fail

Brief retelling from RIA II

Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's international trade committee, said the EU should be prepared to take action against China if trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic's talks in Beijing fail to produce concrete results.

Maros Šefčović will travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao amid China's growing trade surplus and ongoing disagreements over European companies' access to the Chinese market.

Lange said he was “cautiously hopeful” of achieving concrete results from the negotiations, such as reducing Chinese surpluses in certain product categories and making it easier for European companies to obtain rare earth export licenses.

BRUSSELS, Oct 5 - RIA Novosti. The European Union should be ready to take action against China if the upcoming negotiations by European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Beijing do not bring concrete results to overcome the trade imbalance, Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, said in an interview with Rapporteur.

“I am not a supporter of escalation. But if it is necessary, we will have to do it,” Lange said, commenting on the possibility of EU measures if negotiations fail.

Sefcovic will travel to Beijing on Thursday for talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao amid China's growing trade surplus and ongoing disagreements over European companies' access to the Chinese market.

“Of course, they need our market,” says the MEP, pointing to falling property prices in China and falling profits in the automotive industry. "They really depend on exports, and that's why we have leverage in negotiations," he said.

Lange expressed “cautious hope” for achieving concrete results from the negotiations. In particular, we may be talking about a “clear reduction” of the Chinese surplus in certain categories of goods, as well as simplifying the acquisition of export licenses for rare earth elements by European companies.

Previously, Šefčović demanded “tangible results” from Beijing on issues of trade imbalances and the lifting of restrictions on European access to the Chinese market and allowed some “actions by the European Union” in the absence of progress.