Chinese State Media Warns EU of "Lack of Sincerity," Cautions of Intensifying Trade Conflict

No Progress in EV and Rare Earth Talks
Pressure Mounts Ahead of Wang Wentao's EU Visit

China's state-run media has warned that trade tensions could further escalate ahead of the first meeting of the China-European Union (EU) trade and investment dialogue mechanism, criticizing the EU for lacking sincerity in efforts to resolve issues.

On the 25th, Chinese-made MG Cyberster electric vehicles waiting to be loaded onto ships for export were staged at an automobile storage yard in Yantai, Shandong Province, eastern China. Photo by AFP Yonhap News Agency

On June 26, Yonhap News Agency, citing the Chinese state media outlet Global Times, reported that China and the EU have been holding intensive discussions on economic and trade issues this week and have prepared for the inaugural meeting of their trade and investment consultation mechanism.

The Global Times asserted that although the EU has expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with China, it has not shown any real intention to resolve issues during actual negotiations. At the same time, it is preparing additional trade restriction measures targeting China, casting a pessimistic outlook for the first meeting.

The outlet emphasized, "China has consistently pushed for dialogue and negotiations with the EU, but is also prepared to respond firmly at any time." It further projected that "economic and trade relations between China and the EU are becoming increasingly complex, with the potential for trade conflicts to intensify."

The Global Times cited the lack of progress on the "price commitments" proposed by Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers as an example of the EU's insufficient sincerity in the negotiations.

The outlet also claimed that the two sides remain at odds over the issue of rare earth elements. While the EU has asked China to address the concerns of European companies regarding rare earth exports, there has been no agreement on the import restrictions imposed by the EU, which China raised as an issue.

The Global Times also raised concerns about the EU's initiation of nine formal investigations into Chinese companies based on the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), arguing that the EU is using this mechanism to erect trade barriers against Chinese firms.

Additionally, China reportedly received no substantial response from the European side regarding its requests about steel tariffs.

This report was published ahead of Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao's visit to the EU. On June 29, Minister Wang is scheduled to meet with Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice President for Trade and Economic Security at the EU, in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss bilateral trade issues.

China is increasing its pressure on the EU ahead of the talks. At an event held in Brussels on June 24, Chinese Ambassador to the EU Fu Cong emphasized the need to expand cooperation between the two sides, but also warned that if the EU imposes restrictive measures against China, China would respond accordingly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.