This has been a dense week in EU trade, with US relationships, Ukraine and Switzerland dominating the picture. But there’s a lot of other things going on….
China
FAC Trade: Critical raw materials mandate, China dialogue, Ukraine safeguard
EU trade ministers gathered today for one of their twice-yearly meetings in Brussels. Whilst often these meetings are a mere information exchange mechanism, this gathering yielded a few concrete decisions.
Week in Brussels: China and sovereignty on Europe Day, hazardous chemicals
Europe is becoming a new geopolitical battleground in the US China rivalry. Is it mere coincidence that China’s foreign minister Qin Gang was touring the European Union as the EU celebrated ‘Europe Day’ on Tuesday?
Think tank: Oz-EU anti-coercion collaboration, EU firms and China
Here are a few highlights of recent think tank trade policy activity.
Von der Leyen increases momentum for EU outward investment controls
The European Commission said today it is considering putting in place legislation to monitor and if necessary prevent EU companies in sensitive sectors from making investments in third countries, notably China. During a speech at the Brussels-based think tank the European Policy Centre, commission president Ursula von der Leyen said …
THINK TANK: Solar, China and embedded carbon; Korea-ASEAN, trade facilitation and fish
One of the most interesting publications of trade policy think tanks and research institutions this week is by the Hinrich Foundation and delves into the global solar panel supply chain. The OECD has updated its trade facilitation database and the International Institute for Sustainable Development has released a detailed explainer …
EU to focus on ‘de-risking’ China trade links in 2023
Three years into a pandemic and almost one year into a war in Ukraine have probably durably changed the European Union’s outlook on China. Its policy approach to Beijing this year is to reflect this change.
China seeks tech-and-trade conversation with continuously divided EU
Nobody will have missed the news of European Council president Charles Michel’s solo trip to China on Thursday. The trip revealed the EU’s entrenched internal rifts over China. It can be read as the post-pandemic restart of a very difficult domestic European conversation about China.
Week in Brussels: China, Vietnam, steel safeguard
The securitisation of EU trade and investment policy is advancing. This week the European Commission announced it would look into tighter investment screening rules and potential outbound investment controls. Its planned anti-coercion instrument is also moving forward. And the debate on the Energy Charter Treaty is not abating. More on …
Week in Brussels: Chinese firms not happy, power tussle over SMEI, CBAM
An overview of selected developments in Brussels over trade and investment this week. By Iana Dreyer and Rob Francis.
