Marjut Hannonen, head of trade for the European Union’s delegation in Beijing, told a panel discussion on Wednesday that trade ties with China had “steadily deteriorated” in the past 15 to 20 years as it put in place more barriers for business.
Chinese officials, including the former ambassador to the EU, Fu Cong, have been lobbying to revise talks on the stalled Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).
The agreement was initially touted as a landmark deal between the two sides, but in 2021 the European Parliament voted to delay ratification over a round of tit-for-tat sanctions triggered by alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, accusations Beijing denies.
But when asked about the suggestion that negotiations on the investment deal could resume, Hannonen said: “The European side has no interest in doing anything on the CAI. There are no intentions in this direction.
