Trade imbalance, market access and raw material supplies: Brussels expects concrete steps by early October.
Back in June, the EU called for progress in its trade dispute with China by October. The bloc has now reiterated that deadline and stepped up pressure. Beijing must signal its willingness to cooperate and take concrete steps by early next month, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said at a panel discussion in Berlin, according to Reuters.
The EU is calling on China to take action to address the widening trade imbalance. According to Eurostat data, the EU’s goods trade deficit with China reached almost €360 billion in 2025. European exports to China fell by 6.5% year on year, while imports from China rose by 6.4%.
The bloc has also called for improved market access for European companies and raised the issue of critical-goods supplies. In June, Šefčovič pointed to export controls through which China, the world’s leading producer, regulates exports of certain rare earth products. He has now also called for clarity on exports of legacy chips—semiconductors made using older but still widely used manufacturing processes. The EU commissioner also proposed initially agreeing on pilot schemes for selected product groups to determine whether the issues can be resolved through consultations.
Šefčovič plans to travel to Beijing in early October to continue the trade talks and assess the progress made by then. If concrete results fail to materialise, he said political pressure within the EU to seek alternative solutions is likely to increase.
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