China-EU dialogue aims to manage differences

A healthy and balanced China-European Union economic and trade relationship is in the long-term interests of both sides, allowing their businesses to grow together, draw on each other's strengths and better withstand the headwinds of rising protectionism from the United States, market watchers and business leaders said on Wednesday.

They said the latest exchanges between senior Chinese and EU officials, including a video meeting between Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, reflect a shared willingness to manage differences through dialogue and maintain the stability of global supply chains.

During the meeting, the two sides held in-depth discussions on major China-EU economic and trade issues, including export controls on rare earths and the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles.

Both sides agreed to hold an "upgraded meeting" of the China-EU export control dialogue mechanism in Brussels soon.

Zheng Chunrong, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Association for European Studies in Beijing, said that in an era marked by rising protectionism and geopolitical uncertainty, particularly from the US, pragmatic China-EU engagement ensures that businesses on both sides can diversify markets, reduce risks and preserve fair competition.

"Whether China-EU business ties can move forward steadily will depend not only on changes in the international economic and trade order, but also on how they view and engage with each other," said Zheng.

Grzegorz Kolodko, Poland's former deputy prime minister and distinguished professor of the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, said the US economic and trade policies have not only created difficulties for Chinese manufacturers but also posed obstacles for its allies such as the EU, Canada and Mexico, as well as major economies like India.

The US economic policies will undoubtedly bring more challenges to China and the EU in the short and medium term, but adjustments are already underway in the longer term, said Kolodko, adding that many countries are now seeking to deepen cooperation with China as they too are experiencing varying degrees of discrimination under US economic policies.

During a separate phone call with Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans on Tuesday, Wang, China's commerce minister, said the measures taken by the Dutch side against Nexperia, a Chinese-owned semiconductor company based in the Netherlands, had seriously affected the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

The Dutch government announced in mid-October that it had taken control of Nexperia, and the company said that its CEO had been suspended from his post following a court order.

Karremans said the Netherlands attaches great importance to its economic and trade relations with China and is ready to maintain close communication with the Chinese side to seek a constructive solution to the Nexperia issue.

Sun Xiaohong, secretary-general of the automotive branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said that both China and the EU are deeply integrated industrially and commercially, with complementary strengths in technology, capital and market demand.

That sentiment is in line with the latest foreign trade data.

China-EU trade rose 5.2 percent year-on-year to 4.4 trillion yuan ($618 billion) in the first three quarters of 2025, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs.

Xiao Song, global executive vice-president of German conglomerate Siemens AG, said that strengthening cooperation allows Chinese and European companies to jointly drive innovation, enhance supply chain resilience, and achieve green and digital transitions.

He added that during the upcoming eighth China International Import Expo in Shanghai next month, Siemens will sign numerous new deals with Chinese partners, mainly in the field of industrial artificial intelligence.

In another development, Vollmer (Taicang) Machinery Co, a high-end numerical control machine tool manufacturer based in Taicang, Jiangsu province, and a subsidiary of Germany's Vollmer Group, saw its exports to European markets jump 150 percent year-on-year to over 7 million yuan between January and September, according to Nanjing Customs.

"The growth was primarily fueled by our strength in providing customized products tailored to the evolving needs of European customers," said Min Chunrui, the company's marketing director.