Chinese prime minister to discuss trade with EU leaders

BRUSSELS – China’s prime minister is set to meet top European Union officials to discuss thorny issues including better access for European companies to Chinese markets and security concerns over high-speed 5G network technology.

The stakes are high with two-way trade between the EU and China worth around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) a day.

A senior EU official speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting has yet to happen says that the EU wants “a more balanced financial-economic relationship” with Beijing and for European companies to have the same access to Chinese markets as Chinese businesses have to Europe’s markets.

Tuesday’s summit in Brussels comes two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during a visit to Paris to work with European leaders to seek fairer international trade rules.