BEIJING, Sept. 3– Trade talks between China and the European Union (EU) cannot be driven by one-sided demands and should instead address the concerns of both sides on an equal footing, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.
Ministry spokesperson Huang Ling made the remarks at a regular media briefing in response to a question about EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic’s warning of possible trade defense instruments if negotiations with China failed to deliver results.
China has taken note of Sefcovic’s recent remarks, Huang said, stressing that Chinese and EU leaders have reached an important consensus that both sides should properly address each other’s concerns through dialogue and consultation.
In recent years, China has remained committed to implementing the consensus by strengthening economic and trade dialogue with the EU and striving to manage frictions and differences, according to Huang.
Since the first meeting of the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism on June 29, China’s commerce ministry and the European side have maintained close communication at various levels and explored possible solutions to their respective economic and trade concerns, Huang noted.
From Monday to Wednesday, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Ji held talks with visiting Denis Redonnet, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, according to Huang.
The two sides had in-depth, candid and constructive discussions on issues of mutual concern and guided several rounds of technical consultations between their teams, she added.
“China wishes to stress that China-EU consultations at all levels should uphold the positioning of China and the EU as each other’s stable and balanced key trading partners, while addressing each other’s concerns on an equal footing,” Huang said.
The spokesperson pointed out that neither side should make unilateral demands nor dictate terms, let alone readily resort to threats of closing its market as a bargaining chip.
China has reiterated that the EU should face up to the problems it confronts, Huang said, adding that China is not the source of those problems, but can be a partner in addressing them. “Protectionism offers no way out, while win-win cooperation is the right way forward,” Huang noted.
She underlined that the country is ready to work with the EU to strengthen regular and institutionalized communication in the economic and trade fields, manage differences and advance practical cooperation. Such efforts would move bilateral trade toward greater balance and continued growth, Huang stated.
The spokesperson called on the EU to uphold free trade and work with China to safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, urging the bloc to avoid going further down the path of protectionism.
