European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel pressed Premier Li Qiang on China's record bilateral trade surplus, but left Beijing without major new commitments.
EU officials cited a goods trade deficit nearing 400 billion euros in 2022 and a wave of Chinese subsidised exports — particularly in electric vehicles, batteries, and clean-energy hardware — as central concerns.
Brussels has subsequently launched anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese electric-vehicle imports, leading Beijing to threaten retaliatory probes against European brandy, pork, and dairy exports.
Both sides agreed to keep dialogue channels open, while Beijing argued that overcapacity claims misrepresent the dynamics of competitive global manufacturing markets.