China committed to resolving trade frictions with EU through dialogue, MOFCOM says on reported EU refusal of economic meeting over rift
Global Times
By Global Times Published: Jun 19, 2025 11:25 PM
China and the EU are each other's major trading partners, and China attaches great importance to China-EU economic and trade relations, and has maintained close communication with the EU at all levels to promote the sound and stable development of bilateral trade and investment cooperation, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson He Yadong said at a press conference on Thursday.
The remarks were made in response to a media request for comment regarding reports claiming that the EU is refusing to hold an economic meeting with China due to a lack of progress on trade disputes.
According to a Bloomberg report, citing an unidentified person who claimed to be familiar with the matter, European officials decided against holding the flagship EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue.
China has worked to strengthen position coordination with the EU in multilateral arenas such as the WTO, and is committed to properly resolving trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, He said.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, the MOFCOM spokesperson said, noting that China will work with the EU to fully implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of both sides, actively promote the upgrading of China-EU economic and trade cooperation, address each other's concerns, and jointly prepare economic and trade deliverables for high-level exchanges.
Trade issues are of vital importance to both China and the EU, and have long been a matter of mutual concern, and for trade disputes to be resolved, it is important to meet each other halfway, a Chinese expert said.
"A stable China-EU economic and trade relationship plays a key role in anchoring market expectations, which is crucial for both sides. In this context, it is essential for China and the EU to move toward each other and work to build effective consensus," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.
The MOFCOM's remarks came after the Chinese Foreign Ministry addressed a similar question earlier this week.
At the Chinese Foreign Ministry press conference on Tuesday, a reporter referred to a Financial Times report claiming that the EU had canceled the EU-China high-level economic dialogue because of a lack of progress with China on trade issues. Asked to comment on the report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in an increasingly volatile world with rising unilateralism and economic bullying, greater strategic communication and further dialogue and cooperation between China and the EU benefit both sides and the rest of the world.
Guo added that the two sides have maintained communication on trade and other issues.
Recently, in a meeting between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in France on June 3, both sides held focused, candid, and in-depth discussions on urgent and important issues. Both sides called on their working teams to intensify efforts in preparing for this year's major China-EU economic and trade agenda, according to a statement released by the MOFCOM.
There is growing global complexity, highlighted by rising unilateralism and protectionism, posing growing trade pressures to economies worldwide including China and the EU, Zhou said, noting that given this context, it is important for both sides to share broad common interests in responding to these challenges.
"This is especially the case for the EU... As a participant and supporter of economic globalization, the EU is currently facing significant pressures and challenges. For the EU, rules-based cooperation is essential to ensuring stability in both trade relations and market expectations," Zhou said.
"If the EU can take these new dynamics into consideration and adopt a more pragmatic approach to advancing negotiations and achieving tangible results, it would also help foster greater unity among its member states," Zhou said, urging the EU to make greater efforts to build consensus and move forward in tandem with its major trading partner -- China.
Despite global trade tensions, China, in many ways, remains a significant market for European businesses. "It's the world's second-largest economy, and across a wide range of industries for many companies, China remains a core market, in particular, within manufacturing," said Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China in Beijing, in a previous interview with the Global Times in April.
China can turn crisis into opportunity and demonstrate that it is a stable and predictable investment destination, said Eskelund.
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