China – EU: Disarmament, Non-Proliferation Consultations
The consultations were organized in response to the “gradual rise in trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels”
Representatives of China and the European Union held a new round of consultations in Beijing on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry press release, “the meeting was co-chaired by Sun Xiaobo, Director General of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Stephan Klement, European Union Special Envoy for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Affairs.” The two sides had an “in-depth exchange of views on international strategic security, multilateral arms control, nuclear non-proliferation, and some other issues of mutual interest.”
The new round of consultations was organized in the wake of “gradually rising trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels.” In recent months, the European Union has launched a series of investigations into Chinese manufacturers of electric cars and wind turbines, whose exports to European countries are allegedly “subsidized” by the Chinese government. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the investigations are aimed at protecting the European single market from “unfair trade practices” attributed to China. The EU and the USA are accusing it of “supporting its companies with heavy subsidies.”