German Media: European Parliament Delegation Visits China for the First Time in Eight Years

A delegation of European Parliament members announced a visit to Beijing and Shanghai from March 31 to April 2, marking the first such trip in eight years.

This marks the first time in eight years that a delegation of European Parliament members has visited China. At Tuesday's regular press conference hosted by China's Foreign Ministry on March 31, spokesperson Mao Ning stated that this visit by the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection was invited by China's Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, adding, "We believe this visit will promote exchanges and cooperation between legislative bodies of China and Europe, enhance the European Parliament's understanding and awareness of China, and contribute to the healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations."

According to a statement released last week by the European Parliament delegation, the visiting members will discuss challenges in digital and e-commerce sectors during their visits to Beijing and Shanghai, aiming to foster fair competition between China and the EU. They will hold talks with Chinese legislative and market supervision authorities and are also expected to meet with representatives from e-commerce platforms such as Shein, Alibaba, and Temu.

Shortly before this visit, the EU had just agreed to reform its customs system, which includes stringent measures against foreign e-commerce platforms selling illegal or unsafe products into the EU—platforms found violating these rules could face fines.

Reuters noted in its coverage that this visit signals a cautious increase in contact between Beijing and Brussels, potentially helping stabilize the strained China-Europe relationship due to trade policies and political mistrust. In recent years, Sino-European relations have been tested by issues including trade imbalances, China’s export controls on rare earth minerals, and China’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Source: DW

Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1861186760114183/

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