EU trade chief Šefčovič holds China talks amid EV tariff dispute
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič concluded two days of talks with Chinese commerce secretary Wang Wentao on Friday, with early signs showing no breakthrough on the trade dispute. China runs a €1bn daily surplus with the EU, and Šefčovič acknowledged that persuading Beijing the imbalance is unsustainable is a ‘hard sell’. The talks come three months after the European Commission set up work streams to address the multi-layered EU-Sino trade dispute, with little tangible progress visible.
Hours before Šefčovič arrived, Beijing rejected an EU demand for voluntary export restrictions on electric vehicles. In August, Chinese-made EVs accounted for 14 percent of European sales, up from 9.4 percent last year. The EU imposed additional tariffs of 17-36 percent on Chinese EVs in October 2024. Šefčovič posted on X ahead of the talks: ‘The message around the table was clear: the need to improve access to the Chinese market, while boosting our economic security.’ EU leaders will hold a summit in Brussels next week.
