EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic met China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao in Brussels for talks on Monday. Sefcovic described the talks as intensive, focused and constructive, and both sides established groups to discuss trade balance, export controls, intellectual property and WTO reform.

Sefcovic also met China’s chief international trade negotiator Li Chenggang in Paris at an OECD ministerial meeting, calling for practical approaches and meaningful discussion, according to the South China Morning Post. EU leaders were expected to discuss upcoming trade talks with Beijing at a meeting on Thursday in Brussels, Hindustan Times reported. An EU diplomat confirmed that China will be a focus of talks at next week’s EU summit, Bluesky reported.

Sefcovic said he wants the trade talks to yield tangible results by October and believes the teams have sufficient time to deliver them, Global Banking and Finance reported. He added that China’s exports to the EU keep rising while the EU’s market share in China keeps shrinking, calling the trend unsustainable. A leading MEP said the EU and China should continue to talk despite tensions over overcapacity and subsidies, Bluesky reported. China’s Commerce Ministry said China and the EU will hold ministerial‑level trade talks once or twice a year, Mainichi reported.