A[The head of the European Department of the Ministry of Commerce interprets the results of the second regular meeting of the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultation Mechanism] October 10th. From October 8th to 9th, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and European Commission Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Sefcovic co-chaired the second regular meeting of the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultation Mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the mechanism) in Beijing. The two sides conducted reciprocal, professional and constructive talks on trade and investment balance, export control, intellectual property rights, WTO reform and other issues, comprehensively took stock of the consultations and progress since the first meeting of the mechanism, and formed a consensus on the results. The person in charge of the European Department of the Ministry of Commerce explained the relevant results.
1. About China-EU Economic and Trade Relations
First of all, the two sides reaffirmed the stable and balanced positioning of China and Europe as key trading partners, and confirmed that they will handle economic and trade differences and mutual concerns in a balanced manner within the framework of WTO rules, discuss deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote China-EU trade to be more balanced and develop forward.
Second, both parties agreed that the mechanism operates smoothly and efficiently, and the successful convening of the second regular meeting is a new starting point, not the end. The consensus reached by both sides fully demonstrates that China and the EU have the will and wisdom to manage and properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, effectively avoiding the escalation of friction.
Third, both sides believe that stable and healthy China-EU economic and trade relations not only benefit Chinese and European enterprises and people, but also serve the common interests of both sides. It also injects certainty and positive energy into global economic growth and the stability of production and supply chains.
2. Regarding trade and investment balance
Adhering to the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, the two sides conducted intensive consultations, focusing on topics such as medical devices, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, inverters, agricultural and food products, and conducted in-depth discussions on how to reciprocally resolve each other's concerns, expand two-way market access, and promote the dynamic balance of China-EU trade.
First, the two sides agreed to play the role of the trade monitoring mechanism, explore the possibility of reducing tariffs on some goods under the framework of WTO rules, and conduct technical dialogue on EU foreign subsidy regulations to create a fair, transparent and predictable environment for China-EU trade and investment cooperation. The two sides are willing to communicate on market access issues in fields such as medical devices and agricultural products on the basis of previous good cooperation, and continue to communicate on the EU's financing guidance documents for inverter projects, cosmetics and drug supervision and other issues.
Second, the two sides conducted in-depth discussions on the trade of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles based on the basic principles of respecting facts, non-discrimination and compliance with WTO rules, avoiding the escalation of the situation and effectively safeguarding the actual export interests of Chinese companies and the stable development of China-EU hybrid vehicle trade.
At the same time, the two sides reviewed the previously agreed general guidance document on price commitments in electric vehicle countervailing cases, and the European side will actively promote the relevant procedures for enterprise price commitments and review of electric vehicle cases.
Third, both sides actively look forward to future cooperation and believe that China and Europe have great potential for cooperation in the fields of new energy, artificial intelligence, service trade, digital economy, green and low carbon, and can further explore new opportunities and expand new space. The two sides agreed to explore two-way investment cooperation. China, as always, welcomes EU companies to invest and operate in China and continuously improves the business environment. At the same time, it hopes that the EU will create a fair, transparent and predictable business environment for Chinese companies, effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, and enhance the confidence and expectations of Chinese companies in investing and operating in Europe.
3. About export control
Since the establishment of the China-EU export control dialogue mechanism, the two sides have maintained close communication at all levels. Both sides agreed to further leverage the export control dialogue mechanism, strengthen policy communication, and maintain the stability and smoothness of the global industrial and supply chains. The two sides reiterated their commitment to resolving each other's concerns in the field of export control, and the EU will continue to promote progress in resolving key licensing cases with China in the dual-use field. The two sides will explore the possibility of mutually introducing facilitation measures around the compliance trade of dual-use items between China and the EU. The EU will consider taking possible facilitation measures towards China. The two sides also agreed to strengthen communication on the issue of sanctions transfer orders in the field of export control, and support and substantively launch the mutual transfer orders process within their respective legal frameworks.
4. About intellectual property rights
China and the EU have maintained a long-term friendly cooperative relationship in intellectual property protection and have continued to make progress. Both sides are willing to continue to deepen exchanges and expand cooperation space. China hopes that the EU will pay attention to China's demands and actively promote resolution. Both sides believe that it is necessary to set phased goals and continue to play the role of the main channel of the China-EU Intellectual Property Working Group to deepen cooperation and monitor progress.
5. Regarding WTO reform
China and the EU are both firm supporters and active contributors to the multilateral trading system. Both sides emphasized the value of the rules-based multilateral trading system, supported WTO reform, and stressed the importance of abiding by WTO rules. Both sides agreed to further strengthen communication and cooperation in an open and constructive manner and conduct discussions on all issues related to WTO reform with a view to promoting substantial progress in the reform.
6. Regarding follow-up work
Looking forward to the next stage of work, both sides will continue to further intensify work on important economic and trade issues of common concern and jointly promote the implementation of the consensus reached at the second regular meeting. The two sides also agreed to hold the third regular meeting of the mechanism in March 2027. Prior to that, the two sides would maintain close communication at all levels, including holding a ministerial-level video conference in January. B[CITIC Securities: High-end intelligent driving accelerates penetration and the industry chain continues to benefit] September 25th, CITIC Securities research report pointed out that according to the first electric vehicle network data, the penetration rate of urban NOA in the domestic passenger car market has increased to 20.9% in the first half of 2026, which is driving the shipments of Zhongda Intelligent Driving chips, urban NOA software, lidar, intelligent driving domain control and other products to increase significantly, and the related income of leading companies has increased significantly. On the other hand, the commercialization of L4 autonomous driving is accelerating, and many companies have realized economic benefits in benchmark projects and are committed to promoting the commercialization of light asset models and global market expansion. Looking forward to the second half of 2026, all links in the industry chain are expected to further promote technology research and development and product launch, and the automotive intelligent industry chain is expected to benefit. B[Han Zheng meets with Bulgarian President Jotova] On September 24, 2026 local time, Vice President Han Zheng met with Bulgarian President Jotova while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Han Zheng conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and best wishes to Jotova. Han Zheng said that although Bulgaria and China are far apart, traditional friendship, mutual benefit and win-win results have always been the distinctive background of bilateral relations. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, and practical cooperation in various fields has steadily advanced. China is willing to continue to strengthen high-level exchanges with Bulgaria, build political mutual trust, accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and further promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. China and Bulgaria have achieved fruitful cooperation in the fields of agriculture, information and communications, and auto parts manufacturing. China is willing to continue to deepen exchanges with Bulgaria in the fields of youth, education, culture and tourism, promote people-to-people bonds, strengthen multilateral collaboration, and benefit the two peoples with more cooperation results.
Jotova asked Han Zheng to convey her sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, saying that Bulgaria cherishes its traditional friendship with China and that relations between the two countries have maintained a healthy and stable development momentum in recent years. Bulgaria hopes to further intensify high-level exchanges between the two countries, expand cooperation in electric vehicles, high-end manufacturing, telecommunications and other fields, promote the continued growth of bilateral trade, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, promote the implementation of more practical cooperation results, and continuously enrich the connotation of the Bulgaria-China strategic partnership. (Xinhua News Agency) B[National Energy Administration: As of the end of August, the total number of electric vehicle charging infrastructure (guns) in China reached 24.223 million] On September 23, the National Energy Administration released data on national electric vehicle charging facilities in August 2026. According to data from the National Charging Facilities Monitoring Service Platform, as of the end of August 2026, the total number of electric vehicle charging infrastructure (guns) in China reached 24.223 million, a year-on-year increase of 39.6%. Among them, there are 5.16 million public charging facilities (guns), a year-on-year increase of 19.5%, with a total rated power of 262 million kilowatts, and the average power of a single charging station is about 50.69 kilowatts; there are 19.063 million private charging facilities (guns), a year-on-year increase of 46.3%, and the reported installed power capacity of private charging facilities reaches 163 million kVA. B[NIO Technology (Anhui) Co., Ltd. recalls some Firefly pure electric vehicles] On September 18, NIO Technology (Anhui) Co., Ltd. filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation in accordance with the requirements of the "Regulations on the Recall Management of Defective Automobile Products" and the "Implementation Measures of the Regulations on the Recall Management of Defective Automobile Products". Recall number S2026M0114V: Starting from now, some Firefly pure electric vehicles produced between March 20, 2026 and April 2, 2026 will be recalled, a total of 686 vehicles. For some vehicles within the scope of this recall, due to abnormal manufacturing process fluctuations, the steering column torque sensor wiring harness may interfere with the sensor rotor. In extreme cases, the sensor signal may be abnormal, the electronic steering system fault light may illuminate, and the steering assist may fail, posing safety risks. B[The Auto Baihui Annual Meeting and Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-Level Forum (2027) will be held in Beijing in January 2027] On September 15, at the Auto Baihui Annual Meeting and Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-level Forum (2027) media conference, the Auto Baihui Research Institute officially announced that the Auto Baihui Annual Meeting and Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-level Forum (2027) will be "based on the new development pattern. With the theme of "Realizing New Growth in the Automotive Industry", it will be held at the National Convention Center from January 22 to 24, 2027. Zhang Yongwei, chairman of the Auto Baihui Research Institute, said that China's automobile industry has bid farewell to the development stage where scale expansion drives growth and has entered a new cycle of profound transformation of growth logic. The entire industry is seeking to solve the growth proposition under the new development pattern. Accordingly, this forum will focus on the theme of "Based on the New Development Pattern and Achieving New Growth in the Automobile Industry", inviting representatives from all walks of life in the fields of automobiles, energy, transportation, cities, communications, artificial intelligence and other fields to gather in Beijing for in-depth exchanges and discussions on how to inject new momentum into the development of the automobile industry, create a new industry ecology, and build new space for growth. B[Chebaihui Zhang Yongwei: During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the overall scale of the auto market needs to be maintained at 35 million-40 million vehicles] September 15th, Zhang Yongwei, chairman of the Chebaihui Research Institute, said today at the media communication meeting of the Auto Centenary Conference and Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development Forum (2027) that maintaining the stability of the auto market is an important task to support economic development. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the overall annual sales volume of the auto market needs to be maintained at 35 million-40 million units. Among them, 25 million vehicles in the domestic market is an important task to stabilize the domestic cycle; export + overseas production has shifted from speed to quality, with a reasonable target of 10 million-15 million vehicles per year. Chebaihui predicts that overall car sales will decline slightly by 3% to about 33.4 million units in 2026, but will still be higher than sales in 2024; new energy vehicle sales are expected to be 18.4 million units for the whole year, a year-on-year increase of 12%, and the full-scale penetration rate is about 55%. Chebaihui also stated that in 2027, the Chinese automobile market will enter a recovery period. (Reporter Liu Yang) B[The 22nd meeting of the China-Norway Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation was held in Beijing] On the afternoon of September 10, Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative for International Trade Negotiations, and Hilstad, State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Fisheries, co-chaired the 22nd meeting of the China-Norway Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation in Beijing. Ling Ji said that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Norway economic and trade relations have continued to develop for the better, with strong growth in bilateral trade and more diversified two-way investment. China welcomes Norway to serve as the guest country of the China International Fair for Trade in Services in 2026, and is willing to strengthen cooperation in the service industry and deepen practical cooperation with Norway in the fields of green environmental protection, energy transformation, shipbuilding, maritime shipping and other fields. China and Norway firmly support free trade and market opening, welcome Norwegian companies to invest in China, and hope that Norway will create a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies to invest and operate in Norway. Hillstad said that China is an important economic and trade partner of Norway, and the two sides have achieved fruitful results in cooperation in the fields of electric vehicles, agricultural and food products, and maritime services. The Norwegian business community is firmly optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese market. Norwegian companies are operating well in China and are willing to continue to increase investment in China. They hope that China will help resolve the specific concerns of companies. Norway will continue to actively participate in large-scale exhibitions and expos in China such as the China International Import Expo and the China Service Trade Fair, and hopes to better leverage the role of the Joint Committee and other mechanisms to promote new progress in economic and trade cooperation between Norway and China. B[Japan’s three major automakers all recorded double-digit year-on-year sales declines in China in August] On September 9, all new car sales data for Japan’s three major automakers in China in August have been released. Toyota, Nissan and Honda all recorded double-digit year-over-year sales declines. Toyota's new car sales in China in August were 118,400 units, a year-on-year decrease of 22.8%, and were lower than the same period last year for seven consecutive months. Nissan's sales were 28,275 units, a year-on-year decrease of 51.9%; Honda's sales were 26,749 units, a year-on-year decrease of 49.9%. Both sales were nearly halved. Nissan's sales have declined year-on-year for five consecutive months, while Honda's has been lower than the same period last year for 31 consecutive months. Analysts believe that as price competition among various electric vehicle companies in China becomes increasingly fierce, electric vehicles with more obvious price advantages have attracted more consumer demand, while sales of fuel vehicles, the mainstay of Japanese car companies, continue to be sluggish. (CCTV News) B[The 10th meeting of the Sino-German Electric Vehicle Cooperation Steering Committee was successfully held] September 4th, in order to actively implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of China and Germany and continue to deepen the Sino-German all-round strategic partnership, the 10th meeting of the Sino-German Electric Vehicle Cooperation Steering Committee was successfully held online on September 1, 2026. Zhuang Jia, deputy director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Mr. Johannes Wieczorek, director of the Policy Affairs Department of the German Federal Ministry of Transport, co-chaired the meeting. The two parties had an in-depth exchange of views on the current development status and policy dynamics of new energy vehicles in China and Germany, the progress and future cooperation of the Sino-German Electric Vehicle Innovation Support Center (SGEC), and agreed that cooperation in scientific and technological innovation in the field of electric vehicles should be further strengthened to jointly promote green and low-carbon transformation and development. Representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Embassy in Germany, China Automotive Technology and Research Center, Beijing Institute of Technology, Chery Automobile, BYD Automobile, as well as the German Federal Ministry of Transport, the German Embassy in China, the German National Transport Transformation Organization, the German International Cooperation Agency and other relevant units attended the meeting.
— All loaded —
