Europe Day warning to China as EU says ties must be ‘rebalanced’

In a Europe Day speech in Beijing, EU ambassador Jorge Toledo said Brussels remained committed to working with China on climate and other shared interests, but warned the economic relationship had become “deeply and increasingly unbalanced”

The EU has warned China that their economic relationship must be “rebalanced”, citing growing strains over market access, transparency and fair competition.

Speaking at a Europe Day reception in Beijing, EU ambassador Jorge Toledo said the bloc remained committed to open and rules-based trade but that its ties with China were becoming harder to sustain on their current terms.

“The European Union remains firmly committed to open and rules-based trade,” he said. “However, our economic relationship with China – while extensive – remains deeply and increasingly unbalanced.”

Toledo said European businesses continued to face “significant growing barriers” in accessing the Chinese market, as well as problems over transparency and equal treatment, while Europe remained one of the most open markets in the world.

“This imbalance is prompting the European Union to take concrete steps to ensure a level playing field,” he added. “These measures are not aimed at closing markets, but at ensuring that competition is fair, rules are respected, and economic relations are mutually beneficial.”

The speech also paired a tougher line on trade with a clear attempt to keep cooperation on the table. “Let me be clear, in the EU we are convinced that cooperation with China is not only possible – it is indispensable,” Toledo said.

He pointed in particular to climate and energy, telling guests that “nothing effective can be done to fight Climate change without China and the EU” and describing the green transition as one of the clearest areas where both sides could still produce “concrete achievements”.

The ambassador also used the speech to address wider global instability, condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and warning of escalating tensions in the Middle East.

He said China and the EU shared “one common ground now” in backing “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire” and “real negotiations” to secure a peace consistent with the UN Charter.

Toledo’s comments also carried a personal note, as he told guests it would be his last Europe Day in Beijing before leaving China this summer after four years in post.

“I want to use this occasion to, from the bottom of my heart, say how much I have appreciated this wonderful experience, how much I have learnt from this amazing country, from its people and from its ancient culture and civilisation,” he said.

Europe Day is the European Union’s annual celebration of peace and unity, marked by EU institutions on May 9 to commemorate the Schuman Declaration of 1950, the post-war plan that laid the foundations for what became the EU.

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_{Main image: EU ambassador to China Jorge Toledo speaks at a Europe Day reception in Beijing. Credit: © European Union, 2026}