China Cancels Two High-Level EU Meetings Amid Growing Trade Friction

On June 11, 2026, China abruptly cancelled two scheduled diplomatic meetings in Beijing with the European Union. The scrapped sessions included a ministerial-level dialogue on digital issues and a meeting involving Olof Skoog, the EU diplomatic service’s deputy secretary-general. The cancellations were announced at short notice, and the Chinese foreign ministry indicated that communication on the dialogues remained open.

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The cancellations occur against a backdrop of escalating trade tensions. Over the first five months of 2026, Chinese exports to the EU rose 16.4 % compared with the same period in 2025. The European Commission has labeled the EU’s daily trade deficit with China—approximately €1 billion per day—as “unsustainable” and has threatened new tariffs. Recent EU actions include:

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• The proposed Industrial Accelerator Act, which would bar certain Chinese goods from public procurement and limit takeovers of European firms.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• An update to the EU cybersecurity law that would exclude Chinese firms such as Huawei from telecom and solar-energy networks.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• A block on state funding for imported solar inverters, a product segment dominated by Chinese manufacturers.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Three anti-dumping investigations launched in June.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

China has responded with a lobbying campaign against these measures and with domestic legislation—Orders 834 and 835 and a new law on outbound investment—aimed at protecting its supply chain and countering perceived foreign extraterritorial controls.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Export growth: +16.4 % (Jan-May 2026 vs. 2025).

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Trade deficit: ? €1 billion per day.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• EU initiatives: Industrial Accelerator Act, cybersecurity law amendment, anti-dumping probes (three).

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Lin Jian – Spokesperson, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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• Olof Skoog – Deputy Secretary-General, EU diplomatic service.

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• Wang Wentao – Chinese Commerce Minister, slated for a late-June Europe visit.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Ditte Juul Jørgensen – Director-General for Trade, European Commission.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Ling Ji – Vice Minister of Commerce, People’s Republic of China.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Bart De Wever – Prime Minister of Belgium, EU summit commentator.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• China’s foreign ministry emphasized that “communication on relevant dialogues” continues, despite the cancellations.

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• The European Commission noted that the meetings are being rescheduled and that “engagement and dialogue between the EU and China continue at several levels,” citing a recent trade-focused discussion in Brussels.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• Xinhua, China’s state news agency, warned that Beijing would take “decisive countermeasures” if the EU persists in “attacking Chinese companies or goods.”

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• The Global Times cautioned that the EU “should not and cannot afford to wage a ‘trade war with China.’”

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever mocked the EU’s diplomatic approach, stating that officials refer to “geo-economic imbalances” without naming China, suggesting a fear of direct confrontation. EU officials have expressed concern that the growing trade deficit and sector-specific pressures—particularly in automotive and renewable-energy technologies—necessitate a firmer stance toward Chinese imports.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

Sources differ on the motive for the cancellations. One account cites “no reasons were provided,” while another attributes the move to “rising tensions over surging Chinese exports.” No official Chinese explanation beyond the generic statement on ongoing communication has been offered.

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• “China and the EU are maintaining communication on relevant dialogues,” — Lin Jian, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson

The Straits Times

• “Beijing does not want a trade war with the EU, but it will take decisive countermeasures if the EU continues to attack Chinese companies or goods,” — Xinhua commentary

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• “They called it geo-economic imbalances, simply without calling China by name, because we are so afraid that we don't even dare to do so,” — Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• “Engagement and dialogue between the EU and China continue at several levels,” — European Commission statement

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

• “The EU should not and cannot afford to wage a 'trade war with China',” — Global Times

China cancels high-level meetings with EU - FT

The European Council summit in Brussels next week will address “competitiveness and global economic challenges,” a forum where tougher EU policies toward China may be debated. Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected to travel to Europe in late June for talks, and the cancelled Beijing meetings are slated for rescheduling pending diplomatic negotiations.

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