Šefčovič: Talks with China still produce no concrete results

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has acknowledged that negotiations with China have not yet concluded with a concrete agreement. No further public details have been given on the exact subject of the talks or how they are progressing.

The statement comes as the European Union is simultaneously working through several other trade files. In late September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, following a phone call with the Philippine president, that an agreement in principle had been reached on a trade deal with the Philippines, though several details remain unresolved.

Tensions with China and other dossiers

Meanwhile, in early September China imposed export bans on 14 EU companies — a move seen as a signal that Beijing could use supply chains as a pressure tool against Europe in the future. Brussels is also facing resistance from Brazil over new EU steel safeguard measures, with the Brazilian government accusing the European Commission of failing to reach agreement on the new measures.

In April, Šefčovič also commented on the EU-US trade agreement, stressing that it should not be "overloaded" with additional demands, adding that "a deal is a deal."

Overall, EU trade policy is currently being pursued on several fronts at once — from talks with China and the US to the deal with the Philippines and the dispute with Brazil over steel measures. A concrete outcome in the talks with China has not yet been reached, and it remains unclear when one might be achieved.