BRUSSELS — A high-level delegation of Chinese officials will visit Brussels this Thursday, the European Commission confirmed, for talks it hopes can defuse trade tensions over Beijing’s export restrictions on rare earths.
“First meetings are happening already today to lay the ground by video conference, and a high-level technical Chinese delegation will arrive in Brussels on Thursday to engage on these topics in a very substantive way,” European Commission deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill said Monday.
Gill declined to name the officials coming to Brussels. The delegation visiting this week will not include Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
The announcement comes as Beijing’s latest export controls on rare earths reverberate through global supply chains. China controls around 70 percent of global rare earths production, and its dominance in processing and manufacturing permanent magnets is almost total.
