China called on France to help resolve trade differences with the European Union, as Beijing seeks to shore up ties with the bloc amid simmering tensions with the US.
“It is normal to have differences in bilateral economic and trade cooperation, but the key is to resolve them through equal dialog and consultation,” Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin in Paris on the sidelines of a WTO ministerial meeting, according to a statement by China’s commerce ministry.
Wang urged France to push the European Commission to work with China to create conditions for expanding cooperation.
The commerce minister is meeting top trade officials from the EU this week as both sides step up engagement as they face tariff pressure from President Donald Trump. Wang earlier met EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic and had “frank and in-depth” discussions on issues surrounding China-EU economic and trade cooperation, according to a ministry statement.
While China is seeking to bolster trade ties with the EU, disagreements between the two have been come under the spotlight this week, after the bloc agreed to impose curbs on procurement of Chinese medical devices. Beijing criticized the move as a protectionist measure and vowed to take action to protect the country’s interests.