EU trade chief to visit Beijing on Oct 8-9 to tackle tensions

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will hold critical talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on October 8-9 in Beijing as the two sides head into the final stretch of discussions to tackle tensions, a spokesman said.

The 27-nation bloc is deeply concerned about the trade imbalance with China, and the damage Brussels says it is inflicting on key European industries.

EU states tasked the European Commission, in charge of trade policy, to tackle frictions with China via dialogue. Sefcovic has been leading the talks.

The trade commissioner spoke via video call with Wang on Thursday, EU spokesman Olof Gill said in a statement, as Brussels seeks to avoid a painful trade war.

The two men took stock of the talks over the summer. For the EU, Gill said the priorities are the management of Chinese exports to the bloc, Europe's access to the Chinese market and export controls on rare earths.

Dominant supplier China restricted exports of rare earths last year, and the EU worries about the impact of such moves on its supply chains.

"While genuine engagement remains a priority, it is equally important that first concrete outcomes are delivered at the second session of the Trade and Investment Council in Beijing in October, which the commissioner will co-chair -- a signal that we are moving from rhetoric to results," Gill said.

"That outcome needs to be credible."

Work continues and a commission team will travel to Beijing later this month ahead of Sefcovic and Wang's meeting, the spokesman added.

The European Union's trade deficit in goods with China hit around 360 billion euros in 2025, meaning the EU imported way more from the Asian nation than it exported there.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday warned Beijing that the bloc would deploy "all tools" at its disposal to rebalance its trade relationship with China.