EU, China Discuss Market Access, Export Controls, WTO Reform at Trade Dialogue

China and the EU held the "10th EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue" on Sept. 25, discussing the effect of Russia's war in Ukraine on global economics, food and energy security. Also discussed were "EU concerns on access to the Chinese market," prospects for rebalancing the EU-China trade relationship "on the basis of transparency," and predictability and reciprocity, the European Commission said.

Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, representing the EU, raised the issue of access to the Chinese market for exporters of agriculture, medical devices, cosmetics and infant formula, the commission said. Both sides agreed to commit to restarting discussions on alcoholic beverage exports and to exchange information on export controls on a technical level.

China's Ministry of Commerce echoed this sentiment, saying it will "speed up the market access process of EU agricultural and food products," and allow more high-quality European goods to enter the Chinese market, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said it will send personnel to the EU to conduct on-site inspection at infant formula plants to promote export approvals.

Both sides agreed to talks on a potential "EU-China transparency mechanism of supply chains for raw materials," the commission said. They discussed various sectoral issues, including the potential easing of approvals for EU cosmetics manufacturers in China and increasing market access for medical device makers.

China's Ministry of Commerce said the two sides reached consensus on items including industrial and supply chain cooperation, market access, World Trade Organization changes and the opening of the financial industry. The ministry said it is willing to hold the China-EU Joint Economic and Trade Committee on a regular basis and use other dialogue forums.

The ministry said the two sides are looking to promote the entry into force of the WTO's fishery subsidy agreement, food security, admission of new members and transitional period benefits for least-developed nations. China also said both sides put forward dispute settlement, e-commerce, environment and supervision functions as areas where their reform efforts should be targeted.