EU-China trade talks begin in Beijing amid escalating pressure

According to Al Jazeera, Sefcovic will meet Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Thursday and Friday after months of discussions over the EU's trade deficit of more than €1bn ($1.12bn) daily[1].Al Jazeera, citing the Financial Times, says China rejected the EU request for voluntary curbs on Chinese hybrid car exports[1].Al Jazeera reports that Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz called on the EU to prepare a "credible instrument" that could be quickly activated to strike back against countries that harm the bloc economically[1].According to Al Jazeera, China's commerce ministry warned France and Germany to "avoid going down the wrong path in the wrong way, only to ultimately suffer the consequences themselves."[1]Euronews reports that since they began last June, negotiations between the Commission and Beijing have made little progress[2].Arab News quoted Penny Naas of the German Marshall Fund, who said: "There may be a few crumbs, but I would not expect any kind of major breakthrough"[3].Forbes reports that EU leaders will discuss next steps at the European Council summit on October 15-16[4].