China Suddenly Cancels High-Level Meeting with the European Union

China has canceled two high-level meetings with European Union representatives, scheduled this month, amid rising trade tensions between the two sides.

According to a report by The Financial Times on Thursday, June 11, citing sources, one of the canceled meetings was a ministerial-level dialogue on digital issues.

Meanwhile, another meeting is scheduled to involve the Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European Union External Action Service, Olof Skoog.

As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, the reason for the cancellation of the two meetings has not been disclosed. The move comes amid deteriorating trade relations between Beijing and Brussels.

On June 7, the chairman of the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, called on the European Union to tighten trade measures against China. Weber claimed that without such action, Beijing could cripple European industries.

Previously in May, Politico reported that the European Commission had prepared a package of trade protection measures to deal with the influx of cheap goods from China.

The Financial Times also reported that the European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic is reviewing the application of tariffs on chemical products and equipment from China to curb the surge in imports that are considered to have suppressed the competitiveness of European producers.

According to the report, the new measures are aimed at protecting European industries from the influx of Chinese products in the region's market.