"It can happen that after the tariffs this process [of localisation] is accelerating," Hungarian Minister for National Economy, Márton Nagy, said following an informal meeting of EU competitiveness ministers in Budapest on Tuesday (9 July).
"We should seek to maintain and strengthen cooperation with as many countries and market players around the world as possible," Hungary’s Ambassador to the EU, Bálint Ódor, told Euractiv in an interview.
China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin pressed their case on Thursday (4 July) for closer security, political and economic cooperation between countries of the vast Eurasian region as a counterweight to Western alliances.
The Chinese government urged the European Union to “meet China halfway” to resolve the ongoing trade dispute over electric vehicles on Thursday (4 July), as Beijing steps up its efforts to ensure that the provisional tariffs on China-made EVs that will enter into force on Friday do not become permanent.
Pressure from German negotiators to repeal proposed tariffs on Chinese electric cars is set to intensify in the coming weeks after the Commission confirmed on Thursday (4 July) that provisional duties kick in from Friday, pending final approval from the member states.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (28 June) called for the building of "bridges" in the global economy, as Beijing grapples with economic and security disputes with its neighbours and trading partners around the world.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced hope on Monday (24 June) that EU and Chinese negotiators will reach a deal on electric vehicle (EV) tariffs before 4 July - the day European duties on Chinese carmakers are meant to come into effect.
The fifth EU-China high-level environment and climate dialogue, which took place in Brussels on 18 June, served to highlight Beijing's concerns in the face of clean-tech trade restrictions and emphasise that agreement on climate finance would be crucial to make COP29 in Baku a success.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is leaving for a trip to Korea and China on Wednesday (19 June), with talks with the Commerce Ministry in Beijing planned on Saturday that will also address the current tensions over the EU’s tariffs for electric vehicles (EVs).
EU-China relations are likely to worsen and could degenerate into a full-scale trade war if key sources of East-West friction are left unaddressed, European and Chinese experts said at a panel in Brussels on Tuesday (18 June).
The speech given by Minister Peng Gang at the Europe-China Business Summit in Brussels.
The European Commission said it was "not worried" by Beijing's announcement on Monday (17 June) of an anti-dumping investigation into the bloc's pork exports, in an escalation of trade tensions with the bloc.
China has opened an anti-dumping investigation into imported pork and its by-products from the European Union, a step that appears mainly targeted at Spain, the Netherlands, France and Denmark in response to curbs on its electric vehicle exports.
G7 leaders discussed on Friday (14 June) how to protect their domestic industries from Chinese overcapacity without causing a trade war with Beijing and keep in check China's alleged support for Russia's military expansion.
G7 countries should work with China to put in place climate-aligned trade policies needed to accelerate global climate action, by harnessing the power of international trade to promote innovation, reduce costs, and stimulate demand for green goods, write Matt Piotrowski and Joseph Dellatte.
The EU will put additional tariffs on electric cars produced in China, the European Commission announced on Wednesday (12 June), as preliminary result of a anti-subsidy investigation showed prices being distorted by Chinese state support.
With the EU expected to announce preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles on Wednesday (12 June), most European industry representatives look forward to the move, except the car industry itself.
Agrifood products should be kept out of the current EU-China trade tensions as the Asian giant is a key partner for the sector, EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told Euractiv.
Beijing has toughened its critical tone towards the European Union’s protectionist measures against China, warning of increased friction in trade relations. As a trade war brews, the EU is uniting with Japan in fending off Chinese clean tech competition.
While the imposition of new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles proves controversial within the EU due to the fear of Chinese retaliation, the option of negotiations has been met with increasing attention.
Today, news agencies broke two news stories that are worth a closer look as both seem to indicate that China has ambitions to help solve the two wars at the gate of the EU.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Thursday (30 May) for a peace conference on the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas as he addressed Arab leaders and diplomats at a forum in Beijing.
Returning to Europe after a five-year hiatus, Chinese President Xi Jinping discovered the local tribes were not united in diversity. Mapping the land, Xi found divergent political climates, and cavernous terrain between Western, Central and Eastern Europe.
On the last leg of his European tour in Hungary, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday (8 May) is expected to tighten ties with Budapest, its closest ally in the European Union. After Paris, Xi's visits to