EU trade chief swipes at China’s overcapacity, but seeks ‘meaningful’ talks with Beijing

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has called for practical approaches and “meaningful discussion” to tackle the growing trade concerns between Brussels and Beijing, following his meeting with China’s chief international trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, on the sideline of a ministerial meeting at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.Sefcovic opened his press conference on Thursday by stressing the urgency of crafting policy responses to the non-market practices and overcapacity distorting global markets – taking a clear swipe at China without naming it – but struck a more constructive tone once he turned to China directly.“My objective is a practical, result-oriented approach to addressing our concerns, not escalation,” he said, while stressing that any path forward needs to be “meaningful and sustainable”.