During a four-day visit which should be used to prepare for the European Union – China summit scheduled for the end of 2023, China and the European Union declared that they were resuming their regular exchanges on macroeconomic issues, despite the “ strong dissatisfaction » from Beijing regarding a European Union investigation into subsidies granted to electric cars.
4 mins
“ We agreed to resume regular exchanges to discuss macroeconomic issues and to relaunch economic and financial dialogue. And the macroeconomic dialogue will be important in this regard and we look forward to these dialogues in the coming months “, declared the European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, during a joint press conference with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng following discussions in Beijing.
This four-day visit comes at a time when Sino-European relations are not in good shape. European leaders are concerned about the bloc’s growing trade deficit with China, which reached 396 billion euros last year. The European commissioner also cited the recently approved national security laws in China. “ The new Foreign Relations Act and the new version of the Anti-Spying Act are of great concern to our business community “, he emphasized, because “ their ambiguity leaves too much room for interpretation “.
European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has called for a more balanced economic relationship with China. According to Valdis Dombrovskis, China has created a more politicized business environment to protect its national security and development interests, resulting in less transparency, unequal access to government procurement, and discriminatory security standards and requirements.
An investigation opened by the European Commission
Just a few days ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the opening of an investigation into Chinese subsidies given to electric vehicle manufacturers, saying this creates concerns among European companies who fear fierce competition and much lower Chinese prices. The Chinese government, for its part, called the investigation a protectionist act aimed at distorting the supply chain. “ China once again expresses deep concern and dissatisfaction with EU plan to launch anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles He Lifeng said.
Commissioner Dombrovskis also assured that China remained attractive for investments by European companies. “ Both the EU and China have benefited enormously from opening up to the world […] This is why I will continue to defend openness as a winning strategy in the long term. “. But now, European companies “ wonder if what many saw as a win-win relationship in recent decades could become a lose-lose dynamic in years to come “.
Asked about this during a regular press briefing, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assured that China would continue to “ protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals and organizations “.« We will continue to provide a market-oriented, law-compliant and international business environment for companies around the world that legally operate in China “, he added. According to him, China is not a source of risks for these companies, “ but rather a firm force to prevent and defuse them “.
Read alsoChina-European Union: from honeymoon to distrust under Xi Jinping
War in Ukraine
The European commissioner also warned China on another file penalizing for its image : the conflict in Ukraine. The fact that China still refuses to condemn the Russian invasion in Ukraine would penalize it, according to the European Trade Commissioner. He warned Beijing against a position that “ harms the country’s image, not only vis-à-vis European consumers, but also businesses “.
“ Territorial integrity has always been a key principle for China in international diplomacy ” And ” China has always advocated that each country be free to choose its own development path “, he stressed. “ So it is very difficult for us to understand China’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine, because it violates China’s basic principles “, did he declare.
China and Russia consider each other strategic allies, with the two countries frequently touting their partnership “ without limits » and their economic and military cooperation. The two countries have grown even closer since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,