China will lift sanctions on five current and former members of the European Parliament who have criticised human rights abuses, paving the way for trade talks between the two sides, Politico reports, citing a senior European Parliament official, UNN writes.
Details
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will announce the news to political group leaders at a closed meeting on Wednesday, the source said.
Last week, a representative of Metsola confirmed that negotiations on lifting sanctions between the European Parliament and the Chinese government were "in the final stages".
The lifting of sanctions comes against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's decision to turn international trade relations upside down by imposing tariffs on imports, with the most punitive tariffs falling on China. The resulting uncertainty has given impetus to the EU's trade negotiations with countries around the world.
Since China imposed sanctions on five MEPs in 2021, the European Parliament has imposed an unofficial veto on China, making any potential diplomatic contact conditional on Beijing lifting the sanctions.
MEPs have not softened their criticism of China, arguing that the aggressive trade and industrial policies of Chinese President Xi Jinping and human rights abuses should not go unpunished.
Addition
In recent months, the EU and China have expanded contacts. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Xi in mid-April, and EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič recently held exchanges with his Chinese counterparts. An EU-China summit at the highest level is planned for July.