Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected in Brussels for crunch talks with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on June 29 and 30, as trade tensions between the sides threaten to reach fever pitch.
Wang’s trip – confirmed by people familiar with the planning – will come on the heels of several top-level debates in the Belgian capital about how the bloc should tackle the perceived threat of an industrial shock to its economy attributed to China’s policies.
Next week, the European Commission will hold an orientation debate on China policy, with trade officials expected to make the case for a new weapon to deal with the impact of Chinese overcapacity.
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And in June, China will be on the agenda of the European Council, made up of the EU’s 27 member state leaders.
They will be asked to approve a more assertive approach to Beijing, which could lead to an uptick in the use of emergency safeguard measures, as well as support for the new overcapacity instrument.
Wang’s trip has been expected in Brussels since the two officials met on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization’s ministerial forum in Cameroon. In April, the South China Morning Post reported that he was to visit before the EU’s summer break.