EU, China prepare for high-level trade talks amid rising tariff tensions

BRUSSELS: Top trade officials from the European Union and China are planning to meet again early next month, another sign that both sides are stepping up engagements as they try to push back against tariff pressure from Donald Trump.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic are set to meet on the side-lines of a WTO ministerial meeting in Paris in early June, according to a spokesperson for the EU. The news was earlier reported by Chinese state media Global Times.

News of the sit-down comes as President Donald Trump agreed to extend the deadline for the EU to face 50 percent tariffs until July 9, following a phone call with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

That’s the same month European leaders will travel Beijing for a summit with their Chinese counterparts.

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The Wang Sefcovic meeting will be the third known discussion between the two this year. Sefcovic visited the Chinese capital in late March, when he also met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. That was followed by a video call on April 8.

The Chinese government has sought to shore up ties globally to resist Trump’s tariff regime, including by offering European groups rare access to senior policy makers and vowing to improve China’s business environment for foreign companies.

Despite the outreach, European trade officials remain sceptical, citing “promise fatigue” and ongoing disputes over issues such as state support for Chinese companies and trade barriers.