At an EU Parliament hearing yesterday, Commissioner-designate Maroš Šefčovič spoke and took questions from MEPs. China came up several times during the hearing, with overcapacity and geopolitics both discussed, and Šefčovič emphasized that EU trade policy towards China would be "assertive."

With EU member states scheduled to vote this Friday on imposing countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles, the European Commission official in charge of the investigation has provided an update on the state of play, including negotiations with China.

The European solar manufacturing industry is pushing for relief from competition with Chinese producers, and European policymakers are discussing a response. This debate recalls a similar one from around ten years ago.

At a European Parliament International Trade Committee meeting held yesterday and today, members of Parliament discussed various China trade and investment issues with representatives of the European Commission.

The European Union's efforts to adopt a regulation on forced labor are progressing, as Parliament has moved the regulation forward, but finalizing the regulation could stretch into next year.

At the European Parliament this week, members of Parliament had questions for Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis on topics such as de-risking, Chinese legislation related to security, Chinese investments in Europe, Chinese restrictions on exports of gallium and germanium, and human rights issues.

At a European Parliament Committee on International Trade meeting last week, political and business leaders continued to struggle with finding a way forward on formalizing trade and investment relations between the EU and Taiwan.