EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will meet Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing to discuss the EU’s goods trade deficit of more than €1 billion ($1.12 billion) a day and Chinese export curbs. EU imports of plug-in hybrids from China rose 86% in the year to September, while battery-electric vehicle imports increased 40%.
Sefcovic heads to Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Wang on Thursday and Friday, following three months of discussions. He has said he wants “tangible results” by October and a commitment he can present to EU leaders at their October 15-16 summit.
EU officials want China to open its market further to European companies, but say that alone will not be enough. The European Commission is pushing for China to cap some exports, though it is unclear which imports China might agree to curb.
EU imports of plug-in hybrids from China increased 86% in the year to September, while prices fell 20%; imports of battery-electric vehicles rose 40%. More than half of those vehicles came from China, despite EU tariffs on Chinese-built battery-electric vehicles.
