The Ministry of Commerce responds to hot issues such as rare earth export control and China Europe economic and trade relations

At the regular press conference held on the 9th, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, He Yadong, responded to hot issues such as rare earth export control, China Europe economic and trade relations, and the development of e-commerce.

A reporter asked: According to reports, US Trade Representative Greer stated that he will engage in working level dialogue with Beijing. Will there be discussions and plans to continue delaying rare earth export controls?

In response to this, He Yadong stated that according to the consensus of the Kuala Lumpur Economic and Trade Consultation between China and the United States, the relevant export control measures announced by China on October 9, 2025 will be suspended until November 10, 2026. Both China and the United States will continue to maintain communication on their respective concerns through the economic and trade consultation mechanism.

When it comes to whether the United States should be concerned that China will re restrict rare earth exports to the United States, He Yadong said that China has always been committed to maintaining the security and stability of the global supply chain, fully considering the reasonable needs and concerns of the global civilian sector, including the United States, and actively promoting and facilitating compliant trade. Export applications that meet the conditions for civil use will be approved in accordance with the law.

Another reporter asked: Recently, delegations from several German states have come to China to attract investment, and some European leaders have also raised the possibility of reaching a China Europe trade agreement in the future. How does the Ministry of Commerce evaluate the current development direction of China EU economic and trade relations? What conditions does China hope the EU will meet before pushing for a new agreement?

He Yadong stated that China and Europe are important economic and trade partners of each other. Over the years, the foundation of China Europe economic and trade cooperation has been solid, with sufficient growth momentum and deep integration of production and supply chains, forming a benign pattern of complementary advantages and mutual benefit. The Chinese side has always maintained an open attitude towards the bilateral economic and trade arrangements signed between China and Europe, and welcomes the relevant proposals of European leaders. However, in recent years, the European Union has used multiple economic and trade tools to impose restrictions on investigations into Chinese companies, and has recently launched a series of revised drafts of the Cybersecurity Law and the Industrial Accelerator Act, seriously affecting the confidence and expectations of cooperation between Chinese and European enterprises.

I hope the EU can listen more to the voices of member states and the European industry, abandon protectionist practices, move towards the same direction as China, replace 'building walls and barriers' with open cooperation, resolve friction and differences through dialogue and negotiation, and jointly promote the healthy and positive development of China EU economic and trade relations, "he said.

He Yadong also introduced the relevant arrangements for the "Export to China" brand event at the press conference. He stated that for the first time this year, the United Kingdom, Spain, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Thailand and other countries have been selected as the annual theme countries, and various import promotion activities have yielded fruitful results. Next, we will organize over a hundred series of activities around the ten themes of "exporting to China".

He introduced that efforts will be made to strengthen the linkage between domestic and overseas markets, organizing Chinese enterprises to "go global" and inviting enterprises from various countries to "come in", in order to establish a channel for connecting Chinese buyers and global sellers; Strengthen the linkage between "exporting to China" and "buying in China", so that high-quality imported products and services can both be "imported" and "sold well"; Strengthen the linkage between online and offline activities to achieve "rich offline activities and a collection of high-quality online products". At the same time, explore joint research with international organizations on China's export capabilities and release annual reports.

In response to the recent release of the "Guiding Opinions on Better Serving the Real Economy and Promoting the High Quality Development of E-commerce" by the Ministry of Commerce and multiple departments, He Yadong introduced that the guiding opinions aim to stimulate the endogenous driving force, innovation potential, and open vitality of e-commerce development, and better serve the real economy. They mainly have three characteristics: deepening the integration of data and reality, expanding open cooperation, and creating a win-win ecology.

The suggestion is to strengthen innovation leadership, develop "artificial intelligence+e-commerce", and deepen the application of digital technology; Cultivate high-quality e-commerce and promote the integration of online and offline; Develop rural e-commerce, cultivate industrial e-commerce, and promote efficient collaboration between production and supply chains. These measures will drive e-commerce from 'scale expansion' to 'quality improvement', providing new momentum for the development of the real economy, "said He Yadong.