China Looks to Advance Talks With EU After Trade Call, Commerce Ministry Says

China has pledged to accelerate talks with the European Union on various hot-button issues as Beijing looks to forge closer ties with trading partners in the face of escalating tensions with the U.S.

According to China's commerce ministry, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a video call with the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, on Tuesday. During the call, the two sides discussed a range of bilateral trade issues--including electric vehicles--as well as President Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs, the ministry said on Thursday.

Both officials have agreed to start consultations on market access, and to immediately conduct negotiations on EV price commitments, the Chinese ministry said. They also discussed cooperation on auto industry investment, pledging to support the restarting of a trade remedy dialogue mechanism, according to the ministry.

The call happened around the same time as Chinese Premier Li Qiang had a phone call with EU President Ursula von der Leyen, who during the talk mentioned the potential oversupply of cheap Chinese goods to the trading bloc as fresh U.S. tariffs disrupt global trade.

Minister Wang on Wednesday also held a talk with his Malaysian counterpart, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, on trade cooperation and tariff issues, the Chinese commerce ministry said.

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