China is urging France and the EU to deepen cooperation, portraying itself as a stable partner

China has asked France to help bridge its trade gaps with the European Union. Beijing is looking to strengthen relations with the bloc amid growing friction with the United States.

Speaking on the sidelines of a World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Paris, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin that “It is normal to have differences in bilateral economic and trade cooperation, but the key is to resolve them through equal dialog and consultation.”

As Bloomberg reported, he urged France to encourage the European Commission to engage with China and lay the groundwork for broader collaboration.

Wang is also meeting senior EU trade figures this week as tensions rise under the pressure of U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Earlier, Wang held discussions with EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič that were described as “frank and in-depth,” focusing on issues related to China-EU economic and trade cooperation.

Despite these efforts, China and the EU have hit a rough patch after Brussels decided to curb the procurement of certain Chinese medical devices. Beijing criticized these restrictions as protectionist and warned it would take steps to safeguard its interests.

EU navigates trade talks with U.S. amid China’s bid for closer Ties

On the other hand, EU and U.S. officials say talks in Paris to resolve their own tariff standoff produced progress but fell short of reaching a deal.

On Wednesday, Šefčovič met his American counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, at a gathering of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Greer said, “I am pleased that negotiations are advancing quickly,” adding that the EU had shown willingness “to work with us to find a concrete way forward to achieve reciprocal trade. I look forward to continued constructive engagement in the coming days and weeks.”

Back in April, President Xi Jinping actively pursued European support by positioning China as a more reliable partner than the United States, which had been targeting the EU with tariffs, defense threats, and little patience for negotiations.

Facing a trade war with Washington that has left it isolated, China is now leaning heavily on both diplomatic overtures and economic incentives to regain favor in Brussels.

As a first step, Beijing is expected to lift symbolic sanctions imposed on several members of the European Parliament.

An EU official noted these bans had little real impact, but removing them would send a message of de-escalation. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, “As the world’s major economies, China and Europe will jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system.” It also extended invitations to more European parliamentarians to visit China, although the statement did not clarify the fate of the existing sanctions.

Meanwhile, President Trump thinks it is “extremely hard” to reach any kind of agreement with President Xi Jinping, even as his administration continued to hint that a phone call between the two leaders could happen within days.

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