EP and China resume interparliamentary meeting after 2018 pause

Context

The D-CN Bureau said parliamentary exchanges had been on hold since 2021 after the Chinese government imposed sanctions on MEPs, the EP Subcommittee on Human Rights and others, and that Beijing earlier this year unilaterally lifted those restrictions while the EU's own human-rights related measures remain in place. The meeting took place against a complex bilateral backdrop shaped by Russia's war in Ukraine, widening economic asymmetries and concerns about China’s human rights situation.

Key Topic

Both sides engaged in frank discussions on political, regional and global issues, trade and investment, and the future of EU-China relations. MEPs raised named human-rights cases and called for releases, the delegation warned the EU trade deficit has tripled since 2019 with sharply falling exports and urged joint action on structural trade issues while noting the EU may act unilaterally if engagement fails; rare earth export controls, climate cooperation and the Loss & Damage Fund were also discussed.

What to Watch

The D-CN said it will seek to uphold and develop exchanges despite deep differences and both sides agreed to continue these exchanges next year.