Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Addresses China-EU Trade in Copenhagen Post

On May 29, 2026, Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰), China’s ambassador to Denmark, published an op-ed in the Copenhagen Post, Denmark’s English media outlet, responding to the question of whether Europe lost its economic momentum as China’s trade surplus with the EU last year rose to nearly USD 300 billion. Wang argued that “the reality is not as it seems,” and that “the evolution of the China-EU trade landscape is a natural consequence of globalization and industrial upgrading.” Wang suggested that criticism of the imbalance overlooked what he called “mutual benefit.” Wang also listed the “multi-structural factors” that he said led to the trade imbalance, including the EU’s policy adjustments in response to the energy landscape following the Ukraine crisis, and controls on exports of technology products. The ambassador underscored what China has seen as “discriminatory and exclusionary” legal amendments that he said are “undermining” EU-China trade relations. He called for the EU to “embrace China” to create a “win-win partnership” rather than making it a “zero-sum” game — this being a framing used consistently by China to characterize its global trade relationships as broadly beneficial. During the first quarter of 2026, the EU’s trade deficit with China reached its highest level since 2022.