Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has called on France, as a key European Union (EU) member, to play an active role in pushing the European Commission to show sincerity and work with China to secure a solution to the EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).
Wang made the remarks during a meeting with Sophie Primas, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in Shanghai on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Wang and Primas met ahead of the seventh China International Import Expo (CIIE), which starts this week.
The EU's anti-subsidy probe into China-made EVs has severely hindered cooperation between European and Chinese auto industries, currently a critical concern for industries on both sides, Wang said, noting that technical teams from China and the EU are presently engaged in a second round of consultations.
Wang reiterated China's commitment to addressing China-EU trade friction through dialog and consultation -- based on respect for facts and compliance with WTO rules.
Wang said that unlike the EU's anti-subsidy probe initiated without industry applications, China's trade remedy investigations targeting certain EU goods, such as brandy, pork and dairy products, were launched at the request of domestic industries in full compliance with WTO rules and Chinese laws and regulations.
He stressed that China would continue to handle these investigations in accordance with laws and regulations, safeguard the legitimate rights of enterprises from EU member states, including France, and base its rulings on evidence and facts.
China is ready to work with the European Commission to seek a proper solution in this respect, Wang added.
Noting that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, with France featuring as a guest country of honor at the CIIE again, Wang said that over 100 French companies are set to participate in the expo this year -- the highest number among EU countries, highlighting French companies' strong interest in the Chinese market.
Primas affirmed France's firm commitment to deepening economic and trade relations with China and expressed her pleasure at France's role as a guest country of honor at the expo again this year.
With agricultural and food products being vital elements of France's trade with China, she conveyed France's significant concern over China's investigations aimed at EU products, including brandy.
France does not wish to see further escalation of current EU-China trade tensions and hopes both sides will resolve trade disputes through consultation, Primas said.
Chinese commerce minister urges active role of France on EV trade solution
China has issued a document of guidelines on promoting the construction of new-type urban infrastructure.
The guidelines, made public on Thursday, was jointly approved by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, and highlights two major goals.
By 2027, significant progress should have been made in the construction of new-type urban infrastructure, providing ever increasing support for the development of resilient cities, while a number of experience and practices that can be copied and expanded should have been established.
By 2030, the construction of new-type urban infrastructure should have achieved remarkable results, to help push forward the building of a group of high-level resilient cities, improve urban safety and resilience, and ensure safer, more orderly, smarter and more efficient urban operations.
To achieve these aims, major tasks must be fulfilled in 11 aspects, including implementing the building and upgrading of intelligent municipal infrastructure, promoting the coordinated development of smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles, and developing smart residential quarters, according to the guidelines.
In addition, there are other important tasks such as raising the intelligence level of housing and building management, carrying out digital home construction, improving city information modeling platforms, and maintaining cyber and data security.
"Currently, various types of urban disasters and safety accidents are prone to occur frequently. Proposing comprehensive advancement in building resilient cities is an important measure to address the current urban disaster risks. Meanwhile, it is also an important aspect of advancing the modernization of urban governance in our country, with significant implications for implementing the holistic approach to national security and promoting the secure development of cities," said Wang Kai, president of the Chinese Academy of Urban Planning and Design.
Experts said that cities, which serve as the main engine of China's economic and social development and play a primary role in expanding domestic demand, provide the broadest application scenarios and innovation space for new-generation information technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and the Industrial Internet.
"The construction of new-type urban infrastructure essentially aims to construct a new-type urban infrastructure system based on digitization, networking, and intelligence. We should firmly grasp the development trends of digitization, networking, and intelligence to enhance the level of intelligence of the entire urban infrastructure, improve our monitoring capabilities, and enhance our risk prevention and control capabilities," said Liang Feng, vice chairman of the Smart City Professional Committee of the Science and Technology Committee under the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
China to step up construction of new-type urban infrastructure
