China lifts ban on Spanish beef, strengthening trade ties amid concerns over EU protectionism
China has announced that it will lift a ban on imports of Spanish beef, a new beginning for EU beef exports after an embargo that lasted nearly one-quarter century.
China lifts ban on Spanish beef, strengthening trade ties amid concerns over EU protectionism
The Economics of Geography

China lifts ban on Spanish beef, strengthening trade ties amid concerns over EU protectionism

Photo: AFP/NurPhoto/Costfoto
Eurasia 26/02/2024 12:52

China has announced that it will lift a ban on imports of Spanish beef, a new beginning for EU beef exports after an embargo that lasted nearly one-quarter century.

The move was announced by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when he paid a visit to Spain, as Wang said that China regards Spain as a good and trustworthy partner in the EU and stands ready to inject new momentum into China-EU relations, Global Times reported.

Chinese experts said that the move shows the Chinese government's concrete efforts to enhance China-EU trade, a positive signal that China is opening up, amid rising trade protectionism in Europe.

The decision was first declared by Wang during a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares in Cordoba, Spain on 18 February.

During the meeting, Wang highlighted the broadening of bilateral cooperation into new sectors, including electric vehicles, green energy and the digital economy, and he welcomed Spain to use various trade platforms to increase exports of high-quality products to China.

"Opening-up and cooperation is the endogenous driving force for the development of China-Spain relations," Wang said. 

"When you take into account the size of the Chinese market, the impact is going to be extraordinarily positive," Albares was quoted as saying by AFP.

AFP/Xinhua/Li He
Since 2000, China has banned the EU from exporting beef products to China due to multiple cases of "mad cow" disease in several members of the bloc that year.

China's lifting of the restrictions on Spanish beef came after a slew of antitrust measures by the EU against China. The latest example was that the European Commission is investigating a subsidiary of Chinese rail giant CRRC to see whether there were subsidies to unfairly undercut European rivals. A major anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles was initiated in October 2023. 

Regarding the dilemma, Chinese experts said that the lifted ban instead shows a positive signal that China is opening-up, instead of pursuing protectionism, and the comparison is surely to be seen by the whole world. 
#EU-China relations #Spain #China
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