MEPs journey to China for first go to in eight years to deal with digital financial system | Information

The nine-member delegation, led by the chair of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee Anna Cavazzini, will go to Beijing and Shanghai from 31 March to 2 April. This is the primary Parliamentary delegation to China in eight years and an essential alternative to handle shared digital and e-commerce challenges and foster honest EU-China competitors. MEPs are anticipated to convey the EU’s stance on digital regulation, strategic autonomy and secure digital markets, with a deal with enhancing shopper safety and product security. A high concern for the Internal Market committee are the systemic breaches of EU legal guidelines and the excessive quantity of non-compliant small parcels coming from non-EU on-line platforms, together with from China. They are anticipated to emphasize that every one merchants, wherever they’re primarily based, must adjust to EU product security guidelines.

Programme and composition

In Beijing, the delegation will meet with political leaders, together with Shen Chunyao, Chairperson of the Standing committee of the National People’s Congress, and Luo Wen, Minister of State Administration for Market Regulation. MEPs can even go to the EU Chamber of Commerce to debate on-line commerce and market entry challenges confronted by European firms in China. The delegation will focus on shopper and product security requirements with the e-commerce giants Shein and Alibaba.

In Shanghai, MEPs will proceed discussions on compliance with EU digital market guidelines and honest competitors with Temu. They can even achieve firsthand perception into China’s customs controls and import/export actions on the strategic Pudong International Airport, along with the China Customs Administration and an area logistics firm.

The MEPs collaborating within the delegation are IMCO chair and delegation head Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, DE), Andreas Schwab (EPP, DE), Dirk Gotink (EPP, NL), Christel Schaldemose (S&D, DK), Pierre Jouvet (S&D, FR), Virginie Joron (Pfe, FR), Piotr Muller (ECR, PL), Stephanie Yon-Courtin (Renew, FR), and Engin Eroglu (Renew, DE), chair of Parliament’s delegation to China.

Background

China is the EU’s third largest trading companion (after the US and the UK), and second on the subject of items. The EU’s commerce deficit with China has been rising, reaching €305.8 billion in 2024, with imports primarily consisting of equipment, autos, and different manufactured items. The EU’s financial relationship with China is perceived as unbalanced, on account of a big asymmetry in respective market openings. According to the Commission, e-commerce imports have surged within the EU through on-line marketplaces (e.g. Temu, Shein, Alibaba) with 4.6 billion small packages getting into the EU market in 2024, 91% of which from China. In 2025, the Safety Gate system registered 4,671 harmful product alerts, 2,006 of which had been for merchandise originating in China.