Beijing says China-EU trade talks set in the fall, to be held regularly each year

China and the European Union will hold ministerial-level trade talks once or twice a year, China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday, as both sides try to increase and rebalance trade amid rising tension over their growing trade gap.

Under a newly agreed trade and investment consultation mechanism, Beijing also invited the EU’s trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, to visit China this autumn. A Commerce Ministry spokesperson, He Yadong, said the two sides also intend to strengthen collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence and the transition to renewable energy.

The remarks followed a meeting in Brussels on Monday between Šefčovič and China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao. Šefčovič said after the meeting he would travel to Beijing in the fall.

The EU has faced increasing pressure to reduce its deficit with China, which widened to about 360 billion euros last year—roughly 1 billion euros a day. Chinese cars and batteries are among the goods increasingly exported to Europe. Šefčovič has set an October deadline for meaningful results on trade rebalancing.

The article also notes that new EU measures protecting Europe’s steel industry and limiting e-commerce small parcels took effect Wednesday, which it says is aimed largely at Chinese firms and imports.