European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic arrived in Beijing for two days of talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, with the EU’s deficit of more than 1 billion euros a day and China’s curbs on rare earth and critical mineral exports on the agenda. China rejected the EU’s request for voluntary limits on hybrid car exports, and France and Germany urged the bloc to build a rapid-response instrument against economic coercion ahead of an EU leaders’ summit next week. Beijing vowed a resolute response if Brussels imposes restrictions on Chinese companies or products.
EU-China trade talks open in Beijing as deficit pressure mounts
European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic opened two days of trade talks in Beijing focused on the EU's 1-billion-euro daily deficit and Chinese rare earth export curbs.
Why it matters: The talks set the tone for an EU leaders' summit where the bloc may move toward a rapid-response trade weapon, with supply chains and car exports caught in between.
Data as of Sefcovic-Wang Wentao talks scheduled Thursday-Friday October 8-9, 2026, per Al Jazeera October 7; FT reporting on hybrid-car curbs rejection cited secondhand
Sources
- EU-China trade talks begin in Beijing amid escalating pressure · Al Jazeera · 2026-10-07
- China rejects EU request for voluntary hybrid-car export curbs · Financial Times · 2026-10-07