EU trade chief urges China to take action to improve risk perception in the EU

The European Union (EU) has no plans to sever ties with China, but the EU trade chief emphasized that China "could do a lot" to help reduce the perception of risk. The EU has long complained about an uneven playing field and politicization of the business environment in China. China's recent laws, including a foreign relations law and an anti-espionage law, have raised compliance risks for foreign companies. The EU trade deficit with China has widened, and the EU is assessing its dependence on China for raw materials and components. The EU is also investigating whether to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports. The EU insists that its de-risking strategy is not protectionist, but China has criticized it as such.