EU’s Costa raises concerns with China over mineral export controls
European Council President Antonio Costa expressed strong concerns to Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday regarding Beijing’s expanded export controls on critical raw materials. The discussion took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
Costa also conveyed the European Union’s expectations that China will help end Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a statement following the meeting, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
In response, Li Qiang said China is willing to expand and deepen “optimised and balanced” trade cooperation with the EU. He encouraged both sides to resolve economic and trade issues through dialogue, consultation, and mutual understanding, while fostering a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies in Europe.
The meeting comes amid ongoing trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels, including disputes over Chinese electric vehicles, European pork and dairy products, and recent rare-earth export controls. China’s perceived inactivity regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also complicated EU-China relations.
A recent flashpoint involved China-owned chipmaker Nexperia, whose technology was seized by Dutch authorities over national security concerns. In retaliation, China blocked exports of the company’s finished products, disrupting European carmakers reliant on its chips.
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