Handelspolitik: Vor EU-China-Gesprächen: Handelskammer wirbt für Dialog

As EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic prepares for his China trip, the German Chamber of Commerce is actively promoting dialogue and targeted measures in the ongoing trade dispute. Oliver Oehms, a member of the chamber's executive board in North China, emphasized that China should be viewed as a partner during the dialogues, alongside existing challenges.

The EU should tailor its measures to the specific issues of different industries, advocating for EU initiatives that weigh the benefits and risks, and employ targeted sector-specific instruments rather than blanket tariffs or general guidelines. Oehms also highlighted the benefits of collaboration, as German companies are gaining valuable knowledge in China that could strengthen their home base and competitiveness.

The chamber had previously published the results of its annual business climate survey, indicating that 33 percent of companies anticipate significant and 47 percent moderate impacts on their China business if the ongoing trade negotiations between the EU and China yield no tangible results and escalate to a conflict similar to a trade war.

A total of 80 percent expect some level of impact. Only 14 percent believe there will be no impact at all. Sefcovic is scheduled to meet with China's Trade Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing on Thursday and Friday, as the EU pushes for a reduction of the trade imbalance with China, which currently imports far more goods than it exports. Beijing dismisses criticism of its trade surplus and excess capacities as protectionist.