BRUSSELS — Brussels and Beijing will discuss China’s recent restrictions on exports of rare earths and magnets next week, the European Commission said on Friday.
“We can confirm that both in-person and virtual high-level technical meetings will take place next week,” trade spokesperson Olof Gill told reporters. The talks will not include Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič or his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao just yet.
“Teams will engage under the Export Control Dialogue which was upgraded after EU-China summit in July,” Gill added. It is unclear if restrictions on chips will also be discussed.
Germany Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Friday postponed a trip to China due to start next week.
Beijing’s export controls came up in the talks during Thursday’s meeting of EU leaders, according to two EU officials, with some leaders expressing their concerns. One said the EU’s most powerful trade weapon, the Anti-Coercion Instrument, was mentioned, but didn’t garner much interest around the table.
The EU, which imports many of its critical raw materials, almost all rare earths and permanent magnets from China, is caught in the crossfire between Beijing and the Trump administration in the U.S.
“A crisis in the supply of critical raw materials is no longer a distant risk,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this week in a speech to European lawmakers.
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