EU-China trade relations are back in the spotlight. Contact has been stepped up in recent days, notably with the visit to Beijing of European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and the telephone call between President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang (see EUROPE 13617/34).
The impact of US tariffs on global trade worries the EU, which wants to ensure good cooperation from China. The latter has made a commitment to the EU to monitor its exports in order to avoid significant diversions to the EU, which could disrupt markets.
Beijing has also taken a step towards the EU by releasing imports of EU brandy sold in duty-free shops, which had been blocked by China, Maria Martin Prat, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade), told members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade on Tuesday 8 April.
This blockage was linked to the ongoing anti-dumping investigation into these products, which led to provisional tariffs in October 2024 (see EUROPE 13499/27), but this move by China does not call the purpose of the investigation into question. Final tariffs are expected to be imposed in July 2025.
During their discussion with Maria Martin Prat, MEPs on the INTA committee stressed that the trade problems posed by China persist and should not be swept under the carpet because of current tensions with the United States. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)