Economic Relations Between China and the EU Fall Short of Expectations, Says Borrell

The economic relations between the European Union and China are far from being satisfactory. This was stated by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

“On the economic front, our relations are currently far from being sufficient. We are a major export market for China, yet these relations have been unbalanced for many years, and that imbalance continues to deepen,” Borrell noted in an op-ed for the South China Morning Post.

According to him, the growing imbalance is significantly linked to the persistent difficulties faced by European companies when entering the Chinese market. “We have repeatedly raised these issues of difficulty with the Chinese authorities. Recently, there has been a sharp decline in European investments in China. In the absence of more favorable access to the Chinese market, European investors are turning away,” he emphasized.

Borrell is visiting Beijing from October 12-14, where he will meet with several political figures from the People's Republic of China, give a speech at Peking University, and participate in the 12th meeting of the EU-China Strategic Dialogue.