China-EU
Since 2012, China has been trying to get the European Union to agree to initiate bilateral free trade agreement talks. China is absent from both the transpacific (TPP) and the transatlantic (TTIP) trade deals and wants "in" on a similarly large pact itself in order to avoid losing out on trade flows or to have to follow new "global" standards set by others. European firms, for their part, want greater openings into China and a more even playing field with domestic companies, especially State-owned enterprises.
In March 2014, Brussels agreed that once an EU-China investment treaty is concluded it will consider broader trade talks with Beijing. The investment treaty negotiations began just a few months prior, in November 2013. Once finalised, this BIT willl replace the 26 existing BITs that China has signed over the years with individual EU member states.
The EU is China’s largest trading partner, while China is the EU’s second export market.
July 2014
Articles
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1-Jun-2018 Asia Times China’s Belt and Road a dilemma for Germany
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried to ease Germany’s concerns over Beijing’s cooperation with 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, which many European Union leaders consider a threat to the bloc’s integration, during his visit to Berlin on Thursday. -
9-May-2018 Latin America Herald Tribune European Parliament delegation in China to discuss trade
The European lawmakers will discuss the recently-imposed US tariffs on steel and aluminum, the question of overcapacity, a bilateral investment agreement, market access and intellectual property rights among other topics. -
15-Mar-2018 Global Times China, EU close to BIT: reports
Despite rising concerns about Chinese investment among some European officials, China and the EU are moving fast toward completing a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) and a free trade agreement (FTA), according to media reports. -
2-Jun-2017 China.org.cn Talks on China-EU investment agreement to speed up
China and Germany have agreed to speed up negotiations on a China-EU investment agreement so as to further enrich the two countries’ cooperation and ties. -
1-Jun-2017 China Daily European firms bet on BIT prospects
European companies are hoping that a bilateral investment treaty between China and European Union can be concluded within 12 months. -
28-Jan-2017 Latin America Herald Tribune Merkel wants to finalize bilateral investment agreement between EU, China
The German Chancellor wants to push forward negotiations to conclusively finalize a bilateral investment agreement between the European Union and China -
11-Apr-2016 Ecns Beijing seeks free trade agreement talks with European Union
Beijing wants Brussels to set the ambitious goal of launching free trade agreement talks in a bid to maximize the potential benefits for both sides while China implements its new five-year (2016-20) social and economic program. -
7-May-2015 China Daily China ’willing’ to seek EU investment treaty
"China is willing to push forward talks for a bilateral investment treaty" with the EU, Premier Li Keqiang said, adding that it would include a "negative list" of areas off-limits to European investors. -
2-Mar-2015 Xinhua Service trade with China set to be new impetus for EU recovery: expert
Brussels and Beijing should speed up negotiation of a Sino-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty and strive to sign it within this year, a Chinese think-tank argues -
23-Jan-2015 Xinhua Le Premier ministre finlandais appelle pour un ALE entre l’UE et la Chine
"Nous travaillons actuellement pour essayer d’arriver à un accord sur un traité d’investissement bilatéral entre l’UE et la Chine, pour ensuite espérer (...) aussi obtenir un accord de libre-échange (ALE)," a déclaré le Premier ministre finlandais Alexander Stubb. -
23-Jan-2015 Xinhua Interview: Finnish PM calls for EU-China FTA
"Now we are working very much on trying to agree on a bilateral investment treaty between the EU and China, then hopefully ... get a free trade agreement (FTA) as well," Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb told Xinhua in an interview. -
19-Dec-2014 Xinhua Europe should have FTA with China: Italian official
Italy’s Deputy Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda said he pushed for the start of FTA negotiations with China when he chaired a European trade ministers’ meeting in November in Brussels. -
3-Nov-2014 National Law Review Evaluating foreign investment restraints in China
The EU commissioned a review of hundreds of thousands of measures that limit market access and business activities of foreign-owned companies in China. -
15-Oct-2014 Borderlex EU-China investment treaty talks may face bumpy road
The EU and China are discussing their planned bilateral investment treaty on the sidelines of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Italy this week. -
10-Apr-2014 China attempts to split EU and US
President Xi Jinping’s proposal that China and the European Union explore a free trade agreement is a sign of Europe’s pivotal role in the trilateral economic relationship among the United States, the European Union and China. -
2-Apr-2014 Reuters L’UE accepte d’envisager un accord de libre-échange avec Pékin
Le chef de l’Etat chinois a appelé les dirigeants européens à envisager un accord de libre-échange et les Vingt-Huit ont accepté pour la première fois de considérer cette option si les négociations en cours sur un "accord d’investissement" sont couronnées de succès. -
2-Apr-2014 Reuters China’s Xi wins EU pledge to consider free-trade deal
Chinese President Xi Jinping won a promise from the European Union on Monday to consider a multi-billion-dollar free-trade deal with his country, a long-held goal for Beijing which divides Europe. -
28-Jan-2014 Reuters Jefe de diplomacia china expresa apoyo a acuerdo libre comercio con Europa
El jefe de la diplomacia china llamó el lunes a considerar un acuerdo de libre comercio con la Unión Europea, un paso alguna vez impensable que ilustra una gran mejora en las relaciones entre dos de los mercados más grandes del mundo -
27-Jan-2014 China’s top diplomat wants free-trade deal with Europe
Beijing’s top diplomat called on Monday for China and the European Union to consider a multi-billion-dollar free-trade deal, a once unthinkable step that shows a big improvement in relations between two of the world’s largest markets. -
6-Dec-2013 Eurasia Review China-EU bilateral investment treaty: Can it be achieved? – analysis
The BITs China signed with individual European countries in the 1980s and 1990s were mainly intended to attract FDI and are no longer suitable for the new economic realities facing China.
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