Brussels and Berlin steel for make-or-break October with China

Europe’s actions in coming weeks could set the course of EU-China relations for years to come and the mood in Brussels is hardening

Brussels and Berlin are steeling themselves for a make-or-break October with China, as the mood towards Beijing hardens in both capitals.

The month ahead could help set the course of the increasingly thorny EU-China relationship for years to come, as Europe gears up to present a slew of new tools for countering Beijing’s trade practices, likely to come in December.

Before then, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic travels to Beijing on October 8 and 9 for crucial meetings with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. These will assess how much progress has been made in rebalancing trade ties since the last showdown in June.

The European Commission is pushing China to set voluntary export limits on products like plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, sales of which have soared in tandem with a downturn in Europe’s own automotive fortunes.