The key facts

  • 12 MEPs visited China and urged Beijing to extend the October agreement on hybrid cars to other sectors
  • The EU's trade deficit with China has reached a record €360 billion and continues to grow
  • The negotiations will last at least until March 2027, when Šefčovič is to meet with Wang Wentao

EP delegation urged Beijing to curb exports

A delegation of 12 Members of the European Parliament, during a visit to China, stated that the PRC's export-oriented economic model is unsustainable for Europe and demanded restrictions on cheap imports across a larger number of industrial sectors. This is reported by euronews. The MEPs called on Beijing to build on the agreement reached earlier in October to restrict exports of Chinese hybrid cars to the EU.

What has already been agreed and what is changing

Under the October agreement, the EU introduces country-specific quotas: 350,000 Chinese hybrid cars per year for the European market over four years, with a fixed annual adjustment of 6%. Bernd Lange, chair of the EP's trade committee, a German socialist, called the hybrids agreement a

Brussels' next steps

The issue was raised at the delegation's meeting with China's Trade Minister Wang Wentao. Following the summit in early October, EU leaders instructed the European Commission to introduce unilateral quotas and tariffs on imports of chemicals and industrial equipment — two sectors seriously hit by Chinese competition. In parallel, the Commission is working on a