China seeks German help to stave off EU trade sanctions days before Xi-Trump summit

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Germany to help steer the European Union away from protectionist measures against China, saying that Beijing and Brussels should not engage in trade wars just days before President Xi Jinping’s high-stakes US visit.

“China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners, and a trade war should not be fought between them,” Wang told his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in a phone call on Monday.

According to a statement from China’s foreign ministry, Wang said open dialogue was the viable way to address each other’s concerns and encouraged Brussels to “stay on the right track of open cooperation, dialogue and consultation”.

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He also called on Berlin to “maintain a rational and pragmatic approach” and play a positive role within the EU in “promoting the upholding of free trade and rejecting protectionism”.

EU leaders are scheduled to meet in mid-October to assess the bloc’s trade deficit with China and consider new policy tools to counter what Brussels views as unfair Chinese trade practices.