China hit back at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after she accused the nation of distorting trade and limiting access for Europe's firms — a back-and-forth clouding the outlook for an upcoming summit.
“We hope the EU can realize that what needs to be rebalanced is the EU's mindset, not China-EU economic ties,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Mao also called on her nation and the European Union to manage their differences through dialog.
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The remarks come after von der Leyen said that if China and Europe were to move forward, “we need a genuine rebalancing: fewer market distortions, less overcapacity exported from China, and fair, reciprocal access for European businesses in China.”
Mao added that her nation was “willing to expand the imports of quality products from the EU that meet our markets needs and hopes the EU will ease restrictions on high-tech products to China.”
She also added: “The EU's public procurement market is far from fair and open as claimed by the EU but has many hidden barriers.”
Beijing has imposed export controls on rare earth magnets, hitting EU industries hard and compounding an increasingly unbalanced trading relationship. The move has dashed signs of a thaw earlier this year between the EU and China because of US President Donald Trump's tariff policies.
The 27-member bloc has imposed tariffs on electric vehicle imports over allegations Chinese producers benefit from unfair subsidies. The EU also excluded the country's firms from public contracts for medical devices earlier in 2025, sparking a tit for tat retaliation from Beijing.
Mao didn't specify what high-tech products she was referring to but China has never been able to buy ASML Holding NV's most advanced semiconductor machines, which use extreme ultraviolet, or EUV technology.
The US has worked with allies in Europe and Asia to prevent China from getting access to high-end chip and chipmaking technologies due to fears Beijing's tech advances will lead to military gains.
China intends to cancel part of a two-day summit with European Union leaders planned for this month, Bloomberg News reported earlier, though the plans may change.
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