Dombrovskis to visit China to resume dialogue

Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis will visit China on September 23-26, where he will seek to reduce restrictions on European business from Beijing.

This was reported by Reuters.

According to the agency, the visit is aimed at resuming the dialogue with China after it was closed due to COVID-19 amid growing EU concerns about Beijing's close ties with Moscow.

Dombrovskis is scheduled to take part in a joint trade and economic dialogue, meet with Chinese officials and European companies operating in China, and give two speeches.

The European Commissioner will arrive in China a little more than a week after the EU said it would study the possibility of introducing punitive tariffs to protect European manufacturers from cheaper Chinese imports of electric vehicles.

This may lead to a cooler reception for the official in China, but sources familiar with the visit say it could be useful for a more focused discussion on "trade irritants."

The EU believes that its €400 billion trade deficit is partly due to Chinese restrictions on European companies. According to Chinese customs, the EU's trade deficit with China increased from $208.4 billion last year to $276.6 billion in 2022.

Author - Olena Madiak, 22/09/2023