China has warned the European Union against imposing further trade restrictions following an internal EU discussion on relations with Beijing, saying it would respond firmly to any new measures it considers discriminatory.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement on Saturday that the EU should uphold free trade and fair competition and reject protectionism and unilateral actions.
It added that if Brussels introduces “unilateral trade instruments” or discriminatory restrictions, China would “strike back decisively” and take “effective measures” to defend its interests.
The warning came after the European Commission held internal trade policy talks on EU-China relations on Friday.
No decisions were taken at the meeting, which aimed to feed into discussions at an upcoming gathering of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations, and a mid-June EU summit.
Following the talks, the commission said China remained an important partner and that dialogue would continue.
However, it added that the current state of trade and investment relations was “not sustainable,” citing growing links between economic and security concerns and calling for “a more robust and coherent response” from the EU.
Beijing said communication channels with the bloc remained open and pointed to ongoing discussions on establishing a consultation mechanism for trade and investment.
Relations between the two sides have been strained by EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, reciprocal investigations into market practices and Chinese export controls on key raw materials.
