China, EU ‘very aware of what’s at stake’ in trade talks: Spanish envoy

Spain’s ambassador to Beijing Marta Betanzos tells audience at Renmin University that both sides will benefit from improved trading ties

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A container is lifted onto a China-Europe freight train at Yiwu West Railway Station in Yiwu, China’s Zhejiang Province, on November 18, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 1:00pm, 18 Dec 2024Updated: 3:42pm, 19 Dec 2024

Both China and the European Union are aware of the need to reach a consensus and an agreement on tariffs “because our trade relations need to be improved”, Spain’s ambassador to Beijing Marta Betanzos Roig said on Tuesday.

Speaking at Renmin University, Roig said that both China and the EU had put forward tariffs bilaterally but “this is not the last word”. However, she suggested that talks may not progress before US president-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Both China and the EU are “very much aware of what is at stake, to what point we need to reach a consensus and an agreement, because our trade relations need to be improved”.

“I believe that no outcome is to be reached until we see Trump in office,” she said. “We are all waiting to see what is going to be the implementation of all the announcements that he has made concerning tariffs.”

Marta Betanzos Roig, the Spanish ambassador to China, said both China and the European Union have put forward tariffs, but “this is not the last word”. Photo: Handout

Trump has already promised massive tariff increases on several countries, including China, and warned EU member states that they will “pay a big price” if they do not buy enough American products.