Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It is hoped that the EU will listen to reasonable suggestions from Chinese enterprises, address their legitimate concern, and abide by market rules to help promote healthy and stable development of China-EU economic and trade relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) on Tuesday released a report on the development of Chinese companies in the EU that provides a comprehensive review of the key areas of cooperation between Chinese companies and the EU. The CCCEU also presents a package of policy recommendations to EU institutions and member states of the EU to improve the business environment for Chinese companies.

According to the CCCEU report, Chinese businesses are thriving in Europe, driving growth in green technology, digital innovation, and sustainable partnerships. However, the report also reflected the concerns raised by Chinese business including EU’s politicization of trade issues and impact of the EU’s “de-risking” strategy.

Mao noted that China and the EU should defend multilateral trade rules, and promote globalization and free trade and investment. Efforts should be made to reduce trade and investment barriers in order to foster higher levels of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Green transition and development is a consensus between China and the EU. However the EU is increasingly seeking to reduce external reliance and implementing trade protectionism in sectors where Chines enterprises have advantages.

For example, the EU started an anti-subsidy investigation of Chinese-made electric vehicles in September, which has drawn strong opposition from Chinese companies. Additionally, some voices from the EU blame Chinese companies for aggressively competing for the market share there, resulting in the plummeting price of solar panels in Europe.

In response, a spokesperson form China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Wednesday that relevant countries should respect and abide by the principles of fair competition, remove barriers to free trade, and jointly promote development of the global photovoltaic industry.