The upcoming meetings in Brussels on June 29–30 between Šefčovič and Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao follow a period of diplomatic shadow boxing. Officials are currently shuttling between capitals to prepare for these talks, though Šefčovič tempered expectations in Paris, noting that previous efforts to curb the imbalance have largely stalled.
Maroš Šefčovič faces uphill battle to narrow EU-China trade gap
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is heading into high-stakes negotiations with Beijing, aiming to reverse a lopsided trade deficit that saw the bloc import far more from China than it did from Switzerland last year. With a surplus reaching €360 billion, the pressure is mounting to secure tangible economic concessions.
Existing trade barriers have failed to stem the tide. Despite the Commission imposing tariffs of up to 37 percent on electric vehicles last autumn to counter state subsidies, Chinese car exports to Europe surged by 26 percent, reaching nearly 1.2 million units by 2025. This failure is compounded by an OECD report released this week, which found that Chinese firms receive three to eight times more government support than their international rivals. Beijing maintains that its state aid remains compliant with WTO standards, dismissing the OECD findings as arbitrary. As the two sides prepare to meet, the fundamental disagreement remains: Europe demands a market correction, while China continues to downplay the severity of the economic friction.
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