EU trade chief to hold Beijing talks Oct 8-9 to avert trade war

October 5, 2026 at 08:13 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will travel to Beijing on Thursday for two days of talks with Chinese officials aimed at preventing a trade war. The meetings come as the EU prepares to boost its trade defence tools and Beijing threatens retaliation. The EU's trade deficit with China hit about €360 billion in 2025.

Key Facts

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will meet Chinese officials in Beijing on Oct 8-9.
The EU's trade deficit with China reached about €360 billion (US$404 billion) in 2025.
China puts the deficit at around US$292 billion and expects it to rise further this year.
EU trade enforcement chief Denis Redonnet said sectors facing 'sustained and abnormal' import increases included machinery, textiles, basic metals and chemicals.
The EU wants an export licensing system for rare earths after China introduced restrictions last year.

The Beijing Meetings

Sefcovic will hold two days of meetings with Chinese officials starting Thursday. EU and Chinese officials have been in talks since June to address Brussels' concerns about the trade imbalance. Sefcovic warned in summer that the EU expected 'tangible results by October' from the process. Experts cautioned against expecting a major breakthrough, with Penny Naas of the German Marshall Fund saying there may be 'a few crumbs'. Zhu Tian of CEIBS said there could be 'agreements on some specific issues, rather than any broad settlement of the trade relationship'.

Trade Deficit and Import Surges

The EU wants to cut its trade deficit with China, which hit about €360 billion in 2025. China's own figure is around US$292 billion, and Beijing expects the deficit to rise further this year. Denis Redonnet told the European Parliament last week that sectors facing 'sustained and abnormal' import increases included machinery, textiles, basic metals and chemicals. Redonnet said there were 'potentially worrying trends for almost a quarter of all imports into the EU at the moment', driven mainly by Chinese goods.

EU Objectives and Rare Earths

Sefcovic said the EU wanted to deliver on three main objectives, including tackling export surges from China to the bloc's market, especially in critical sectors. The EU also wants to increase exports from Europe to China. Brussels seeks 'a system of export licensing for rare earths and other products' after major producer China introduced restrictions on them last year. The European Commission is working in parallel on new tools to protect European industries, expected to be presented to leaders in December.