From EUobserver · · 2m
EU Trade Chief Meets China on Trade Surplus
EU trade chief seeks China deals as trade surplus hits record €360.6bn.
In brief
EU trade chief seeks China deals as trade surplus hits record €360.6bn. EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič meets Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao to address record €360.6bn trade surplus with EU, up 15% from 2024. Originally reported by EUobserver.
EU Trade Chief Meets China
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao meet in Beijing on Thursday (8 October) to discuss China’s growing trade surplus with the EU.
Record Trade Surplus
The surplus reached a record €360.6bn in 2025, up 15 percent from 2024, and widened another 10 percent in the first four months of this year.
Working Groups Set Up
The visit follows a meeting in Brussels in June where Šefčovič said he wanted the dialogue to deliver tangible results by October, and the two sides set up working groups on trade balance, export controls, intellectual property and WTO reform.
Mixed Signals from China
China has sent mixed signals, with Beijing reportedly showing openness to purchase agreements for European goods and possibly lower tariffs, while China’s commerce ministry insisted Brussels should not treat China as the source of the EU’s problems.
Rare Earths Access Concerns
Šefčovič will also be hoping to secure assurances from his Chinese counterpart on access to rare earths and minerals for European companies, with a one-year moratorium on extra restrictions on rare earth and minerals exports from China, which also applies to the United States, due to expire in the coming weeks.
German Stockpiling Reports
There have been reports of some German companies stockpiling rare earths in case the Šefčovič-Wentao talks fail to break the deadlock and China imposes new export controls in retaliation for the EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ plan to protect its industrial supply chain.
Potential EU Measures
If the Beijing talks fail, Germany and France could push for tougher measures at next week’s EU leaders’ summit, including a cap on Chinese hybrid-car exports, preference for European vehicles in public procurement and tighter limits on Chinese takeovers of European companies.
The main idea
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič meets Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao to address record €360.6bn trade surplus with EU, up 15% from 2024.
