EU envoy in Beijing for talks to calm trade tensions

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic arrived in Beijing on Thursday for two days of talks on addressing the bloc's trade deficit with China.

"We're working hard to rebalance EU-China trade," Sefcovic wrote on X following a meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in the Chinese capital.

Sefcovic added that it was "crucial" the talks deliver tangible outcomes.

Sefcovic said his visit, which lasts until Friday, aimed to tackle the "unsustainable" trade deficit, which is at its highest level since 2022, according to EU figures.

China exports around €1 billion ($1.12 billion) more in goods and services a day to the EU than flows the other way. Many in Europe blame this on unfair trade practices by Beijing, including using state subsidies and price dumping to undercut European rivals.

Beijing has rejected those claims.

Thursday's meeting comes after three months of discussions between EU and Chinese officials over the trade imbalance. Sefcovic has previously said he wanted to see results by October.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday called for openness and cooperation, saying that "resolving economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and consultation is in the common interests of both China and the EU."

"We hope that the European side can work towards solutions together with China," ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a news briefing.

Earlier Thursday, Sefcovic met with representatives from EU companies in China.

"The message around the table was clear: the need to improve access to the Chinese market, while boosting our economic security," he said.

Besides the trade deficit, Sefcovic's discussions in China are also set to focus on an ongoing dispute over hybrid cars. According to diplomats, China has rejected calls to voluntarily limit its fast-rising export of the vehicles to the bloc.

Brussels could move to temporarily curb the import of Chinese cars through quotas and tariffs, something Beijing firmly opposes.

Earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron called for tougher EU measures to tackle unfair trade practices, which they said were undermining European companies and increasing the bloc's economic dependencies.

Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the current trade imbalance "leads to deindustrialization in the industrial heartlands of Europe."

EU leaders are expected to discuss the bloc's relations with China at a summit in Brussels next week.