European Parliament lawmakers have called for continued dialogue with China and concrete measures to address trade imbalances, improve market access and strengthen transparency, following a three-day visit to the country.
The delegation from the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA), which visited Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, stressed that closer engagement was necessary to stabilise economic relations and avoid a trade conflict between the European Union and China.
Committee chair and delegation leader Bernd Lange said a recent agreement under the Trade and Investment Consultation (TIC) framework on hybrid car imports provided a starting point for improving trade relations. However, he called for similar approaches to be extended to other sectors and for existing commitments to be implemented credibly.
Lange also welcomed discussions on improving transparency in subsidies and supply chains.
Pascal Canfin, the committee’s standing rapporteur for trade relations with China, said the EU needed to rebalance its trade relationship with Beijing, arguing that China’s export model was not sustainable for the bloc. He said dialogue remained central to the EU’s strategy but needed to produce tangible results.
During meetings with Chinese officials, the lawmakers raised concerns about barriers facing European companies operating in China, unpredictable supply chains, access to critical raw materials, excess production capacity and Chinese decrees affecting foreign businesses.
They also discussed EU regulations being developed to strengthen European industrial capacity and the need to reinforce the multilateral trading system through the World Trade Organization.
The delegation met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and other senior officials, as well as representatives of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, who outlined the growing difficulties facing European companies in the country.
In Hangzhou, the lawmakers visited robotics company Unitree and neurotechnology company BrainCo, while in Shanghai they met the city’s vice-mayor, Lu Shan.
The delegation said more frequent exchanges between the EU and China were essential to building trust, warning that neither side would benefit from escalating trade tensions.
