World · Europe · 15 hrs ago
China and EU hold trade talks, agree to continue discussions
China and the European Union held their second trade and investment consultation meeting in Beijing on October 8 and 9.
They discussed issues including car trade, export controls, tariffs and intellectual property.
The two sides are major trading partners, and their business ties also link companies and supply chains across both markets.
They have disagreements, including over the balance of trade, but the talks aim to address concerns and find room for cooperation.
The Chinese commerce ministry said the goal is to make trade more balanced by expanding market access and addressing practical problems for businesses.
The sides agreed to hold a ministerial video meeting in January 2027 and a third consultation meeting in March.
Continued talks may help manage disputes, though they will not make disagreements disappear on their own.
China and the European Union held the second meeting of their trade and investment consultation mechanism in Beijing on October 8 and 9.
The sides discussed issues including automobile trade, export controls, tariff reductions and intellectual property protection.
They agreed to hold a ministerial video meeting in January 2027 and the mechanism’s third meeting in March 2027.
The mechanism is intended to address trade and investment imbalances and other concerns through continued consultation.
China and the EU are each other’s second-largest trading partners, with bilateral trade totaling $828.1 billion in 2025.
- Who
- China and the European Union.
- What
- They held a trade and investment consultation meeting and agreed to continue talks on shared concerns.
- When
- October 8 and 9. They also agreed to hold further meetings in January and March 2027.
- Where
- Beijing, China.
- Why
- To address trade and investment concerns and manage differences through dialogue.
Advocates of dialogue
China-shock proponents
Trade relations
Advocates of dialogue
They say continued dialogue is a pragmatic way to address differences and find areas for cooperation.
China-shock proponents
Some people in the EU cite the trade deficit to promote the China-shock narrative.
China is one of the world’s most important economies and cannot be ignored. Europe will certainly engage in dialogue with China; this is the pragmatic approach.
The China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism was launched in Brussels.
The mechanism held its second meeting in Beijing.
The sides agreed to hold a ministerial video meeting.
The sides agreed to hold the mechanism’s third meeting.
- Bilateral trade
- $828.1 billion in 2025
- Meeting venue
- Beijing
- Meeting dates
- October 8–9
- Next ministerial meeting
- January 2027
- Third mechanism meeting
- March 2027
Sources
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