BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The United States and the European Union will meet this month to address concerns centered on China over anti-market practices and to coordinate export controls on semiconductors and other products, according to a draft statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Brinken, European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and other senior officials will meet at the Fourth EU-US Conference. The Trade Technology Council (TTC) was held in Luleå, Sweden from 30th to 31st May.
In a draft statement obtained by Reuters, the two countries regularly address non-market practices, economic coercion, and efforts to disrupt their own knowledge of strategic rivals’ foreign investment support technology (indirectly referring to China).
The statement said the two countries would also coordinate export controls on “sensitive goods,” including those with military uses, and semiconductor export controls, but said China was mentioned only twice and that could change before the meeting.
Brussels said it sees China as a partner, economic competitor and, in some areas, a strategic rival. The European Union plans to refocus its policy toward China, recognizing the importance of working with the more aggressive United States.
The document highlighted China’s medical device sector and said its trans-Atlantic partners were considering “possible measures” to address the threat posed by non-market policies and practices.
It also said it would like to cooperate in efforts to counter foreign manipulation, such as “amplifying Russian disinformation coverage of China’s war” in Ukraine.
The two countries also said they were committed to cooperating with the G7 to coordinate measures to counter economic repression such as trade restrictions that the EU claims China has imposed on EU member Lithuania.
