Bernd Lange, S&D MEP and chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, hopes the EU and China can reach a “comprehensive agreement” to resolve their trade dispute by March next year.

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A recent round of talks in China by European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič showed some progress, offering a potential opening to reset increasingly strained trade relations. But tensions remain over a range of issues, from Chinese electric vehicles and industrial overcapacity to rare earths and access to each other’s markets. Brussels is pushing Beijing for greater reciprocity in trade.

Lange acknowledges that deals with China are “really hard to get”, but says that once an agreement is reached, Beijing sticks to its commitments.