MEPs debate ways to re-balance trade between the EU and China as the country's Vice Premier Li Keqiang visits Brussels.

Bargaining with the Chinese

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15968848/n001-120503-001-en_mf.srt

Just as during the last EU-China summit  back in February in Beijing,

the relationship between  the two economic powers remains tense.

Ahead of Thursday’s Brussels meeting, talk  turned to China’s role in saving the euro.

China is happy to help as long as Europe  drops its levies on Chinese imports,

China might be holding Europe to ransom,  but they don’t have the upper hand yet.

The crisis in the eurozone  is also a problem for China,

because Chinese producers need  more sophisticated markets

for their more and more  sophisticated products.

Of course they can invest in Africa,  South America, Asia,

but the European market  is the biggest market.

Europe has overtaken the US as China’s  top trade partner, so should be listened to.

However, from subsidies  to intellectual property rights,

the Eastern nation refuses  to play by EU rules.

has been discussing ways of re-balancing  trade between the EU and China,

but many obstacles remain, as rapporteur  Marielle de Sarnez made clear

in the debate held  before concluding her report.

it’s a country in which the state can take  decisions for 5, 10, 15, 20 years ahead,

and it’s clear that in all the high-tech sectors  they’re holding back a share for themselves.

That’s to say they take  our technology, our patents,

but don’t open the door for us when it  comes to these key innovation sectors.

The report will be voted upon  during the next plenary in Strasbourg.

But with a history of ignoring the EU’s rules,  most recently on airline emissions taxes,

the cat-and-mouse or rather  cat-and-dragon game looks set to continue.