Chinese Premier Li Qiang alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the China-EU Business Leaders Forum in Beijing. July 24, 2025 - REUTERS

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China has shown openness to discussing ways to address the significant trade imbalance with the European Union, a notable shift reflecting Beijing's recognition that its trade surplus with the bloc, amounting to about one billion euros per day, has become a rising political issue in Brussels, at a time when a poll showed a split among Europeans over whether the union should strengthen its ties with the United States or China.

The South China Morning Post reported, citing several people familiar with talks held in Brussels this week, that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao informed European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič of Beijing’s openness to considering agreements to purchase more European goods.

The newspaper added that the talks also discussed the possibility of reducing tariffs on some manufactured goods from the European Union, in what it described as a rare indication of China’s acknowledgment that its trade surplus with the union ‘has become a political challenge for bilateral relations’.

Trade Balance

According to the newspaper, Beijing also expressed readiness to discuss ways to curb the sharp increase in its exports to the European Union, which has raised concerns that European industries are under growing pressure from an influx of low-cost, high-quality Chinese products.

However, the sources clarified that the Chinese minister showed greater interest in increasing his country’s imports from Europe than in reducing Chinese exports to EU countries.

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Publicly, Beijing continues to downplay the widening trade surplus, arguing it reflects European demand for Chinese products, while Chinese officials have previously attributed the difficulty in rebalancing trade to Dutch restrictions on exporting advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

The newspaper suggested that China’s openness may be linked to the European Union’s growing readiness to tighten its trade tools in dealing with Beijing, following discussions among member states last month.

It noted that the European Commission is considering a tariff quota system allowing limited quantities of certain Chinese products to enter at low tariffs, with amounts exceeding the quotas subject to higher tariffs, in an attempt to curb import flows in key sectors.

China is one of the European Union's largest trading partners, but bilateral trade relations are experiencing a growing imbalance in Beijing's favor.

According to data from Eurostat, EU exports to China amounted to 199.6 billion euros in 2025, compared to imports of 559.4 billion euros, resulting in a record trade deficit of 359.8 billion euros in favor of China.

This deficit amounts to about one billion euros per day, which has increased Brussels’ pressure on Beijing to take steps to bring greater balance to bilateral trade relations.

European Divide Between China and the United States

In a related context, Politico reported the results of a poll conducted by Public First in June in 24 EU member states, showing a split in public opinion over whether Europe should strengthen its ties with the United States or China.

The results showed that participants from 8 countries favored strengthening ties with China, compared to 9 countries that leaned toward the United States, while opinions were divided in 7 other countries.

In 14 countries, the most common answer was ‘I don’t know,’ ahead of both the US and Chinese options.

Politico noted that the poll results reflect the pressures Europe faces amid strained relations with its two largest trading partners, pointing out that many participants in Western European countries no longer see the United States as the reliable ally it once was.

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It explained that Italy and Spain leaned more toward China, while hesitation prevailed in France and Germany, where most participants chose not to favor either side.

In contrast, Eastern European countries such as Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia maintained a clear preference for the United States, given their continued reliance on Washington as the main guarantor of European security.

The poll showed that 38% of participants believe reducing Europe’s dependence on China may be a desirable goal but unrealistic, while only 26% think achieving this goal is possible and desirable, and 19% said the EU should not seek to reduce its dependence on China at all.

Also, 43% of participants predicted that China would become Europe’s most important trading partner in the next ten years, compared to only 27% who favored the United States.

Politico added that the majority of participants in 23 of the 24 countries surveyed expected China to top the EU’s list of trading partners in the coming decade, while Lithuania was the only country that clearly predicted the United States would retain that position.

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