Much is in flux in the European Union’s geostrategic – hence also trade policy – positioning following the war in Ukraine. A lot will also depend on how China positions itself on this matter in the coming weeks and months. But diversification of trade relationships is now on top of …
Asia
EU, China mandate high level dialogue to advance ‘market access’ conversation
Today’s widely anticipated EU-China summit held via videoconference mainly offered a channel of direct communication between the leaders of the Council and the European Commission on the one hand and China’s president and vice-premier on the other, amidst rising political rifts between the two sides that have been building up …
EU, India prepare to launch trade, investment agreement talks
The European Parliament’s international trade committee has begun work on plans to negotiate a trade, an investment protection and a geographical indications agreement between the European Union. This comes as the European Commission and the Indian government are preparing the ground to start working on concrete legal treaty text proposals …
Lithuania: EU launches wide-ranging WTO case against China trade blockade
The EU has moved faster than expected in launching a legal dispute at the World Trade Organization in relation to Chinese restrictions on exports from Lithuania following a political row with the country related to the opening of a representative office for Taiwan in Vilnius last year. The move is …
Festering Chinese Lithuania blockade emboldens anti-coercion instrument proponents
A festering crisis over trade with Lithuania is helping proponents of the EU’s recently announced anti-coercion instrument make their case in Brussels.
EU and Singapore to prepare the ground for digital partnership talks
The EU and Singapore will soon formally start preparing the ground to start negotiations towards a digital partnership agreement. These ‘scoping’ talks will be held within the framework of an already existing two-year-old bilateral free trade agreement and form part of a dedicated working group under the deal’s Joint Committee.
Comment: The new Japan-US-EU ‘trilateral’ underwent a pandemic mutation
The relaunched Japan-US-EU trilateral conversation aimed at developing new rules related to so-called ‘non-market’ behaviour in international markets is shaping up to be very different from the pre-pandemic initiative launched during the Trump administration.
Japan, US, EU relaunch trilateral engagement on industrial subsidies
The European Union, the United States and Japan have agreed to resume dormant talks aimed at agreeing on joint principles related to industrial subsidisation, which they would like the World Trade Organization to endorse in a potential future reform process.
Sabine Weyand: We will need to re-engage China
Borderlex’s founder and editor Iana Dreyer spoke to the European Commission’s director-general for trade Sabine Weyand. The conversation covered the current state of transatlantic trade relations, the Brussels’ trade conversation with China and prospects for the World Trade Organization as its 12th ministerial conference approaches.
Chinese business feels heat of EU ‘unilateral’ trade and investment measures
The discreet Brussels-based China Chamber of Commerce to the EU released this week its 2021 annual report on what it terms the ‘business climate’ in the bloc.