On Thursday, the European Union called on China to take concrete measures to further open its market to foreign-funded enterprises and provide a level playing field, and said it would not sign any political statements at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai next week.
The EU statement was issued on the eve of CIIE, and the Chinese government hopes to use the Expo to show that China is willing to narrow its trade deficit and alleviate concerns about its trade practices.
Critics believe that the Expo is poorly planned, business climate is not strong and political significance is obvious, and the current trade situation between China and the United States is very tense.
When it comes to China's trade practices and its treatment of foreign-funded enterprises, the EU has many of the same complaints as the United States.
"We are one of China's most important trading partners, and in our view, success should be measured by concrete and systematic measures implemented in a timely manner by China," the EU said.
"These initiatives should be designed to address many long-standing trade and investment concerns in addition to tariff adjustments. We look forward to a clear statement from the Chinese government giving details and timetables for such initiatives, "the EU said.
"Since this is an action for different countries, focusing on the import/opening up of the Chinese market, we will not support any joint political statement on the Expo."
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