The EU and China held the first ministerial-level Trade and Investment Consultations in Brussels, agreeing to work on trade and investment balance, export controls, intellectual property rights and WTO reform, while establishing a joint monitoring mechanism to improve transparency, track trade flows and address market access concerns.
Maros Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security and Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, and Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, held the first meeting of the EU-China Trade and Investment Consultations (TIC) in Brussels.
EU and China to strengthen ministerial-level dialogue on trade and investment policies
The EU and China, as key trade partners, agreed that the main objective of the trade talks is to strengthen ministerial-level dialogue on trade and investment policies, with a view to stabilizing the bilateral relationship and making it more balanced.
During the first meeting, the EU and China noted the importance of addressing the challenges affecting the bilateral trade relationship and agreed to seek practical solutions. Four initial workstreams under the trade talks were identified: Trade and investment balancing, export controls, intellectual property rights and WTO reform.
During the meeting, they also agreed to establish a joint monitoring mechanism to exchange relevant data, monitor trade flows and support technical work to improve transparency, enhance mutual trust and manage trade frictions.
Both sides also agreed that increased market access measures and initiatives can help balance the trade relationship. Their discussion focused on possible tariff or non-tariff initiatives to that effect, exchanged lists of market access issues and agreed to continue consultations within the trade and investment balancing work stream with a view to making progress on specific concerns.
China’s trade surplus with the EU hits $411.95 billion
European Union leaders have asked the Commission, which handles trade relations for the bloc, to produce results from its dialogue with China, as its trade surplus with the EU hit €360.6 billion ($411.95 billion) in 2025, a 15 percent increase over 2024. The surplus has expanded by 10 percent in the first four months of this year.
Commenting on the talks, Šefčovič said he wanted talks on trade to yield tangible results by October. He told reporters on Monday that talks were “intensive, focused and constructive,” adding that both national delegations will continue talks in the evening.
“We think that between now and October, our teams have sufficient time to deliver tangible results,” he said.
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EU and China make progress on rare earths and critical materials
On export controls, the EU and China noted positive progress in dialogue on rare earth elements and other critical materials. They also agreed to strengthen exchanges on regulatory frameworks and licensing policies, and to further cooperation to support the stability of global supply chains.
Both sides also underlined the importance of cooperation within the WTO and expressed support for advancing WTO reform and strengthening its effectiveness.
In addition, they recognized technical discussions on intellectual property rights, agreeing to address systemic issues and improve fairness, efficiency and transparency of IP protection and enforcement.
