The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG

China on Thursday warned the EU against threatening to close its market if trade talks fail, and urged the bloc to address concerns on an equal footing and not to make unilateral demands. 

    
Consultations at all levels between China and the EU should adhere to the stable and balanced positioning of their critical trade partnership, uphold the principle of resolving each other's concerns on an equal footing, and should not involve unilateral demands, conditions, or even frequently resorting to the threat of market closure, Huang Ling, a Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson said on Thursday.

The comment was made in response to the EU trade chief's recent threats of trade defense instruments and market closure against China if negotiations fail to yield results. According to a report by the Euro News, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčovič said "China must deliver concrete results" in talks with the EU by October or the country will face "harsher measures." Šefčovič also noted that if dialogue does not deliver results, the EU could resort to defensive instruments.

Some EU politicians' recent harsh comments could be a strategy of maximizing pressure on the Chinese side to gain more leverage at the table, Chinese analysts said. Striking a tough posture won't settle the fundamental issue and would only sour the atmosphere for talks, analysts warned, while urging Brussels instead to focus on practical, constructive ways to manage differences and offer a workable plan. 

"China has repeatedly stressed that the EU should face its own economic and trade problems squarely, and China is not the source of those problems. Rather, China can be a partner in helping the EU to solve them," the MOFCOM spokesperson said. 

Huang urged the EU to stand by free trade, jointly uphold the World Trade Organization (WTO)-centered, rules-based multilateral trading system, and refrain from sliding into the abyss of protectionism.

"Protectionism leads nowhere, and win-win cooperation is the right path. China is ready to work with the EU to strengthen regular, institutionalized communication on trade, manage differences, expand practical cooperation and move China-EU trade toward a higher and more balanced track," Huang said.

Bilateral economic and trade relations between China and the EU have been under immense strain in recent months. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threated last week that "if negotiations to reduce the record-high trade deficit with China did not produce a breakthrough, the EU should make use of all its trade defense mechanisms," according to another report by the Euro News.

In recent months, Brussels has either rolled out or planned a string of measures targeting China to fence off the European market. 

In the latest move, France on Tuesday enforced a new law, targeting Chinese e-commerce companies such as Shein and Temu with fast fashion fees. In response, China's MOFCOM on Thursday reiterated its opposition to the law, warning that the legislation applies double standards under the guise of "environmental" and "sustainable" criteria and is suspected of violating  the WTO's non-discrimination principle.

"Facing increasing pressures within the bloc, EU politicians should reflect on their own structural issues and rebuild competitiveness through strength and innovation, rather than pinning the blame on the Chinese side alone," Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"Accusations and pressure will not settle the issues. The EU side should abandon its unilateral approach, and better handle differences through bilateral consultation and dialogue, so that the overall China-EU economic and trade relationship can stay on a stable and resilient path," Jian said.

From August 31 to Wednesday, MOFCOM Vice Minister Ling Ji held talks with Denis Redonnet, deputy director-general of the European Commission's Trade and Economic Security, in Beijing. The meeting was in preparation for the second meeting of the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism, which the MOFCOM said earlier would be held this autumn. 

MOFCOM spokesperson Huang stressed that it is an important consensus reached by Chinese and EU leaders to properly resolve each other's concerns through dialogue and consultation. China has in recent years worked to put that consensus into practice, stepping up economic and trade talks with the EU and seeking to manage frictions and differences.