The European Union should ease restrictions on high-tech exports to China. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a regular briefing, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
At the same time, he defined the accusations of overcapacity of Chinese industry as a “one-sided perception“ of the global balance between supply and demand.
Beijing's statements come a day after a high-level meeting between Chinese and European leaders held in Beijing. According to Guo, China remains committed to importing “quality and market-demanded products“ by the EU and stressed that claims of overcapacity serve as a justification for imposing protectionist measures.
“These claims do not objectively reflect the reality in the context of economic globalization“, he added.
During the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that in the absence of greater trade reciprocity, the EU could be forced to restrict access to Chinese goods to the European market.
She highlighted the existing trade imbalance, noting that 14.5% of Chinese exports go to the European Union, while only 8% of European exports reach the Chinese market.
Although the EU and China are the second largest trading partners, relations between them remain tense, DPA notes. Brussels expresses serious concerns about the record trade deficit of more than 300 billion euros last year, as well as about Beijing's restrictions on the export of strategic materials.