EU trade chief swipes at China’s overcapacity, but seeks ‘meaningful’ talks with Beijing

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has called for practical approaches and “meaningful discussion” to tackle the growing trade concerns between Brussels and Beijing, following his meeting with China’s chief international trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, on the sideline of a ministerial meeting at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Sefcovic opened his press conference on Thursday by stressing the urgency of crafting policy responses to the non-market practices and overcapacity distorting global markets – taking a clear swipe at China without naming it – but struck a more constructive tone once he turned to China directly.

“My objective is a practical, result-oriented approach to addressing our concerns, not escalation,” he said, while stressing that any path forward needs to be “meaningful and sustainable”.

Both sides have decided to prepare thoroughly for the meeting between Sefcovic and his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao, to be held later this month in Brussels, Sefcovic said.

Teams are expected to travel between Europe and China in preparation for the officials to have meaningful discussions with “concrete outcomes”, according to Sefcovic, answering a question from the South China Morning Post.

Brussels has been keen to streamline dialogue with China from an estimated 60 working groups into something more manageable, the SCMP previously reported. Beijing confirmed last Saturday that a “trade and investment consultation mechanism” was being discussed.

Sefcovic stressed the need for more high-level dialogues between Brussels and Beijing, on par with the frequency of trade talks between Beijing and Washington. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng have held seven in-person talks since last year that saw them tour many European capitals.