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China insists investment deal talks with EU going smoothly, dismisses nuclear energy report
- Foreign ministry spokesman says it is ‘fake news’ to suggest Beijing has made a late demand for access to European energy market
- EU member states have also raised concerns about claims of forced labour in China
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Investment deal talks were going smoothly between China and the European Union, Beijing said on Thursday, dismissing a report they had been complicated by its demand for access to the EU‘s nuclear power market.
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Time is running out for the bilateral investment deal, which is in its seventh year of talks, with both sides facing a deal-or-no-deal deadline of the end of the year, amid rising pressure from European politicians over human rights issues.
Soon after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday played up the prospects that the deal would likely be wrapping up soon, politicians in EU member states talked up the possibility of dropping the deal without Beijing’s commitment to end alleged forced labour in Xinjiang – which Beijing denies exists.
But a Chinese expert said Beijing had shown “utmost sincerity” in its commitments to protect labour rights and level the playing field during the talks.
Wang Yiwei, a professor in European studies with Renmin University, said China had basically met EU demands on market access and fair competition, but a gap remained on cross-border data flow and data protection.
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