MOFCOM spokesperson He Yadong Photo: Tao Mingyang/GT

China has invited European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security and Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Maros Šefčovič to visit China this autumn to co-chair the second meeting of the newly established China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism, He Yadong, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said on Thursday.

On June 29, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Šefčovič co-chaired the first meeting of the mechanism in Brussels, Belgium. The two sides conducted comprehensive, in-depth and constructive discussions on key economic and trade issues, the spokesperson said at a press briefing in response to a question seeking updates on the first meeting.

During the first meeting, they discussed balanced expansion, rather than balanced contraction, of trade focusing on three areas: expanding cooperation in AI and green transition, exploring services and other areas of cooperation, and addressing each other's concerns in market access and other issues, He said.

The MOFCOM's announcement of inviting Šefčovič to visit China in the autumn for the second meeting of the mechanism just days after the inaugural meeting demonstrated China's longstanding commitment to resolving trade disputes with the EU through dialogue and consultation, said Zhang Jian, a vice president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

The achievements of the first meeting underscore both parties' willingness to deescalate economic and trade tensions, Zhang told the Global Times on Thursday.

During the inaugural meeting, the two sides also reached consensus on a new positioning of China-EU economic and trade relations, namely that China and the EU should remain stable and balanced key trading partners. This will help improve the expectations of a wide range of Chinese and EU enterprises and inject greater certainty and positive momentum into economic development in both regions and beyond, the MOFCOM spokesperson said.

Also on Thursday, in response to a separate question regarding what measures China plans to take to ensure that China's rare earth export controls would not affect EU supply chains, He said that China and the EU have conducted sound cooperation under the China-EU export control dialogue, and at the inaugural meeting of the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism, the EU side expressed appreciation and gratitude for the positive outcomes achieved through this dialogue.

The MOFCOM spokesperson added that the two sides will further strengthen exchanges and consultations under the export control section of the mechanism to safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

At the press briefing on Thursday, He also said that China is fully implementing its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) and advancing the building of a trading powerhouse, with a strong commitment to promoting balanced growth in both imports and exports. China is ready to leverage platforms such as the "Export to China" initiative and the China International Import Expo to help EU businesses tap into the Chinese market and expand their exports to China.

Zhang also called on the EU to work in the same direction with China, respect market principles, embrace the irreversible trend of deep industrial-chain integration, and provide enterprises on both sides with a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment. 

Given the strong complementarity between China and the EU in economic structure and industry, Brussels should look beyond short-term shifts and "think in terms of the bigger picture," Zhang said, adding that rather than erecting trade barriers against Chinese companies, the EU should enhance cooperation with China in various sectors to bolster its international competitiveness.