A planned meeting between EU Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčovič and his Chinese counterpart was cancelled on Friday, as the European Commission opted for expert-level talks to defuse tensions over Beijing's rare-earth export controls, which EU leaders are calling economic coercion.
The get-together will be held both online and in person in Brussels, as the Commission has been under pressure since Thursday night from the 27 member states, who have called on it to work on a strong response to the unfair trade practices of international partners — first and foremost, China.
