"China Cancels Two High-Level Meetings with EU"… Trade Tensions Escalate

As trade tensions between China and the European Union (EU) escalate, Chinese authorities have canceled two significant meetings with the EU today (June 11), the Financial Times reported, citing sources.

According to the sources, two meetings between China and the EU scheduled to be held in Beijing were canceled by the Chinese side with little notice.

One of the meetings was a ministerial-level discussion on digital issues, while the other was a talk to be attended by Olof Skoog, the Managing Director for Global Affairs at the European External Action Service.

The sources stated that the reasons for the cancellations remain unknown.

China avoided a direct response regarding the cancellations, stating only that it continues to communicate with the EU, while the European Commission explained that it is "rescheduling the meetings."

The Financial Times noted that such tactics are frequently used to express dissatisfaction with the policies of the other side.

In July last year, the EU refused to hold economic talks with Beijing ahead of a summit, citing a lack of progress on various trade disputes.

The latest cancellations are interpreted as a warning message from China to EU member states ahead of an EU summit to be held in Brussels next week.

It is reported that the summit will discuss tough countermeasures regarding trade imbalances with China, and China is reportedly lobbying individual member states to prevent the EU from taking collective action.

China's exports to the EU this year have surged by 16.4% compared to last year, further heightening trade tensions between the two sides.

In particular, China is strongly opposing the Industry Acceleration Act (IAA), which the EU is pushing to strengthen the competitiveness of European manufacturing.

Under this act, Chinese products could potentially be excluded from public procurement contracts.

The European Commission also recently unveiled a new cybersecurity package that mandates the exclusion of companies such as Huawei and ZTE.

The new cybersecurity package includes regulations on the use of Chinese equipment across 18 key sectors directly linked to national security, including not only 5G communication networks but also solar energy systems, power infrastructure, security scanners, cloud services, and drones.

Furthermore, the European Commission has initiated three anti-dumping investigations this month.

Regarding these successive measures, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency emphasized in a commentary, "China does not want a trade war with the EU, but if the EU further targets Chinese companies or products, it will take firm countermeasures."

(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.