Exchanges between legislative bodies are an important part of China-EU relations. To our knowledge, the delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection begins its visit to China today at the invitation of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday when asked to comment on the visit of a group of EU lawmakers to China from March 31 to April 2. It is the first such delegation to visit China in eight years.

We believe this visit will enhance exchange and cooperation between the two legislatures, deepen the European Parliament's knowledge and understanding of China, and facilitate the sound and steady development of China-EU ties, Mao said.

On March 26, the European Parliament announced in a release that a nine-member delegation led by Anna Cavazzini, chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, will visit Beijing and Shanghai from March 31 to April 2. Its members come from France, Germany, Denmark and several other European countries.

The release said the trip is an important opportunity to address shared digital and e-commerce challenges and foster fair EU-China competition. It also noted that the visit will enhance EU lawmakers' understanding of China's innovative tech sector and e-commerce dominance, while examining how EU rules are complied with in practice. 

In Beijing, the delegation is scheduled to visit the EU Chamber of Commerce to discuss online trade and market access challenges faced by European companies in China. The delegation will discuss consumer and product safety standards with e-commerce giants Shein and Alibaba, according to the release. 

According to an X post released on Tuesday by the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the delegation met with EU Ambassador Jorge Toledo, along with other EU ambassadors and representatives, to discuss "challenges related to the EU internal market and competition between the EU and China."

At their official visit to the National People's Congress, the IMCO delegation talked about issues such as consumer and product safety and EU companies' access to the Chinese market, as the X post showed. 

They also paid a visit to the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation on Tuesday, according to the post. 

The abovementioned Chinese authorities have yet to release any information about the meetings as of press time on Tuesday. 

In May 2018, a delegation of seven MEPs visited China to discuss trade issues, including market access and investment, according to an official statement from the European Parliament. 

Wang Dongming, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress met the delegation on May 9, 2018 in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The two sides held cordial, friendly and pragmatic discussions, per Xinhua. 

However, the exchanges between legislative bodies between China and the EU have encountered some challenges over the past few years. 

Some members of the European Parliament have long been known as the spearhead of anti-China rhetoric. In recent years, the European Parliament has passed multiple motions and resolutions criticizing China on issues related to China's Xinjiang and Hong Kong, leading to firm opposition from the Chinese side. 

"The resumption of exchanges between legislative bodies indicates that the European Parliament - an institution often seen as having a strong ideological orientation - is now taking a more pragmatic approach in exploring solutions to various China-EU issues," Dong Yifan, an associate researcher at the Institute of Country and Regional Studies at Beijing Language and Culture University, told the Global Times. 

According to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday, "While China emphasizes cooperation, the visiting lawmakers are targeting "systemic breaches" of EU consumer laws, according to the European Parliament statement. The delegation is investigating the massive volume of allegedly non-compliant small parcels arriving from platforms such as Shein, Alibaba and Temu, per report. 
 
The European Parliament delegation is focused on the internal market and digital products, particularly the digital economy and cross-border e-commerce. Since last year, the EU has stepped up scrutiny of Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Shein and Temu. The bloc has also begun scaling back preferential policies for low-value parcels, including by imposing new taxes, and may tighten customs oversight further, said Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Against this backdrop, the visit may help EU lawmakers gain a more firsthand and objective understanding of China's economic development, and better recognize that China's growth has not relied on so-called unfair subsidies or non-market practices,  Cui said.