China Cancels High-Level Meetings with the European Union

China has cancelled two high-level meetings with European Union representatives scheduled for June, amidst escalating trade tensions between the two sides, The Financial Times reported on Thursday. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that one of the cancelled meetings was a ministerial-level dialogue on digital issues. Meanwhile, the other meeting was scheduled to involve the Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs of the EU’s External Action Service, Olof Skoog. No reason was given for the cancellation of either meeting. The move comes amid deteriorating trade relations between Beijing and Brussels. Earlier in May, media outlet Politico reported the European Commission had prepared a package of trade defence measures to deal with the influx of cheap goods from China. The Financial Times also reported that EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic is examining the imposition of tariffs on chemical products and equipment originating from China to stem a surge in imports deemed to have undercut the competitiveness of European producers. The new measures reportedly aim to protect European industry from the flood of Chinese products in the regional market.