Maros Sefcovic

EU trade chief swipes at China’s overcapacity, but seeks ‘meaningful’ talks with Beijing

EU trade chief swipes at China’s overcapacity, but seeks ‘meaningful’ talks with Beijing Maros Sefcovic made the remarks after meeting China’s chief trade negotiator, but says both sides are focused on mutual success EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has called for practical approaches and “meaningful discussion” to tackle the growing trade concerns between Brussels and Beijing, following his meeting with China’s chief international trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, on the sideline of a...

EU, China hold talks as trade war looms

The EU and China were due to hold talks to defuse escalating trade tensions after Europe voted last week to adopt a tough new approach. EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic was set to meet China’s top trade envoy, Li Chenggang, on the sidelines of an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting on Thursday, the South China Morning Post reported. Talks will focus on establishing a new platform to discuss trade and investment issues and will pave the way for Chinese Commerce...

EU needs a ‘dedicated instrument’ to unwind China dependencies, trade chief says

The EU’s trade chief has confirmed publicly for the first time that the bloc is considering a specific rule to compel companies to diversify their suppliers, as Europe looks to unwind its dependencies on China. “Diversification now requires a dedicated instrument,” Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Friday, adding that he would model it on the manner in which the EU reduced its reliance on Russian energy following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “Recent...

Brussels fires starting gun on tougher China trade policy, as Beijing vows retaliation

Europe’s fears about China trade threat miss the point

Outside In Europe’s fears about China trade threat miss the point How are Beijing’s successful industrial policies any different from those used by Europe, the US or the ‘Asian tigers’ in the past? 3-MIN READ3-MIN 1 Listen David Dodwell is CEO of the trade policy and international relations consultancy Strategic Access. Europe’s political and business leaderships appear to have concluded that China’s economic dominance represents an existential threat – not from intrinsic competitiveness but...