• Beijing says 'ready to continue stepping up' economic, trade cooperation with EU

ISTANBUL

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a phone call with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday, and they discussed the ongoing issue of the Dutch chipmaker Nexperia, according to a statement by the ministry.

The two sides also exchanged views on economic and trade issues, such as China-EU export controls.

Wang expressed hope that the EU would play a positive role by urging the Dutch government to propose a constructive solution "as soon as possible" and to create conditions conducive to the companies’ internal negotiations.

Meanwhile, Sefcovic noted that the Nexperia issue is not yet fully resolved, expressing the EU’s willingness to work with China to further de-escalate the situation.

The two sides agreed that the companies involved should lead in resolving the issue and pledged to jointly urge Nexperia Netherlands and Nexperia China to engage in constructive talks to reach a long-term solution and stabilize the global semiconductor supply chain.

Last week, the Dutch government temporarily lifted a measure imposed in late September that allowed outgoing Economic Affairs Minister Vincent Karremans to block key decisions at the Nijmegen-based company if they endangered chip production in the Netherlands or Europe.

China 'ready to continue stepping up' economic, trade cooperation with EU

China on Wednesday said it is "ready to continue stepping up" economic and trade cooperation with the EU.

"We stand ready to continue stepping up economic and trade cooperation with the EU, and promoting the sound and steady development of China-EU relations," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press conference, according to the official transcript.

Beijing also expressed hope that the EU "can honor its commitment to openness and seize the important opportunities offered by China’s development," she added.

China and the EU are "highly complementary economically with deep convergence of interests," Mao said, adding that the bilateral cooperation on economic and trade sectors "provides the anchor of China-EU relations."

Since the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties in 1975, annual bilateral trade has grown from $2.4 billion to more than $780 billion, and the stock of two-way investment has jumped to over $270 billion, Mao noted.

Remarks came as the 18th Europe-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair concluded on Friday in southwestern China's Sichuan province, attended by 600 government officials, business leaders, and experts from over 20 countries, according to state-run media.