Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held talks with Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President and Commissioner for Trade of the European Union, on the sidelines of a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, according to a Chinese commerce ministry statement.

The two sides exchanged ideas on the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), China-EU trade relations, and economic and trade issues of common concern.

Wang said that China and the EU, both staunch supporters of the multilateral trade system, should seize the opportunity of MC13 to achieve pragmatic outcomes in dispute settlement reform, fishery subsidies, investment facilitation, and e-commerce.

He also expressed China's high concern about the trade remedy investigation launched by the EU, expressing strong dissatisfaction with such a probe that lacks factual basis.

(Cover: Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao (L) shakes hands with EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, February 26, 2024. / Chinese Commerce Ministry)