BEIJING: EU lawmakers this week pressed China over a surge of dangerous products into the bloc and insufficient access to the Chinese market as they kicked off the first European parliamentary visit to the world's No.2 economy in eight years.
The visit, which began on Tuesday (March 31), comes just days after the EU agreed to overhaul its customs system, including a crackdown on mainly Chinese e-commerce platforms that face potential fines if they sell illegal or unsafe products into the bloc.
The EU currently does not apply customs duty on parcels valued at less than 150 euros (US$173.42), an exemption that has fuelled the rapid growth of platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress, which ship consumer packages directly from China.
The nine-member delegation, led by Anna Cavazzini, chair of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee, met with senior officials at China's market regulator and members of the National People's Congress in Beijing, according to posts on the EU committee's X account.
Beijing has welcomed the three-day visit as an opportunity to stabilise bilateral ties. The engagement follows China's decision last year to lift sanctions on several EU lawmakers - a move widely seen as an attempt to offset growing trade frictions with the United States.
China in 2021 blacklisted 10 EU individuals and four entities in retaliation for Brussels' sanctions against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
The EU delegation raised a broad set of concerns with Chinese lawmakers, including consumer and product safety, forced labour, the protection of minors online and EU companies' access to the Chinese market, the European parliamentary body said.
At a meeting with China's State Administration for Market Regulation, the lawmakers relayed their concerns on the "high influx of dangerous and non-compliant products coming from China," and discussed areas of interest and cooperation such as the liability of online marketplaces and fostering fair competition.
The 27-nation bloc is seeking to coordinate collection of duties and safety checks as it struggles to manage the high volume of low-value e-commerce parcels entering the bloc, with the total reaching 5.8 billion in 2025. The EU estimates more than 90 per cent of them come from China.
The EU delegation is expected to meet with representatives from Shein, Alibaba and Temu during their visit. The meeting with Shein will follow an investigationin February over sale of child-like sex dolls on the platform. - Reuters
