China and the European Parliament (EP) are in the final stages of discussions about lifting sanctions against EP lawmakers, as part of a broader initiative to open the door for improved relations between Beijing and the European Union.
“Discussions with Chinese authorities are ongoing and are in the final phase,” a spokesperson for the EP told Radio Free Europe.
EP President Roberta Metsola will first inform the leaders of the parliamentary groups once Chinese authorities officially confirm the sanctions are lifted, the spokesperson added. “The Parliament’s goal has always been the removal of the sanctions and the resumption of relations with China.”
The talks come as Beijing is trying to make diplomatic gains amid a trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Facing a 145% tariff imposed by the United States—China’s largest export market—Beijing is now seeking to improve relations with the EU, following years of strained ties with the 27-nation bloc.
China initially imposed sanctions in 2021 on several members of the European Parliament after Brussels sanctioned Chinese officials and entities over human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, such as ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, in the Xinjiang province.
In response, the EP froze ratification of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which aimed to deepen trade ties between the two major economies.
News of a potential agreement to lift the sanctions—first reported by Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung—has fueled speculation that China and the EU are moving toward a normalization of ties, especially as both face pressure from Trump’s global trade war.
The EU and China are also expected to hold a summit in Beijing in July.
An EU official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to Radio Free Europe that “it is true we are working on lifting the sanctions.”
However, the official emphasized that the move “absolutely does not relate to any trade deal” and that the original investment agreement ran into trouble in 2021—before the Chinese sanctions on MEPs—and “that’s even more the case today.”
The official added that talks with Beijing have been ongoing for several months and actually began before Trump’s recent tariff announcements, which include a 20% tariff on EU goods. These U.S. tariffs are currently suspended for 90 days to allow for potential trade negotiations.
Noah Barkin, senior advisor at Rhodium Group, a consultancy, said China is trying to use the lifting of sanctions as a stepping stone to strengthen trade ties with Brussels, after years of tension fueled by China’s support for Russia in the war against Ukraine and a record number of EU investigations into Chinese firms and trade policies.
In an April 23 post, Barkin wrote that EU officials had told him “China hopes the removal of sanctions will lead to a revival of the EU-China investment agreement, sending a strong signal of EU-China cooperation at a time when both Beijing and Brussels are under immense pressure from President Trump’s global trade war.”
However, Barkin added that despite China’s hopes, “the chances for a full-fledged rapprochement between the EU and China remain slim.”
EU sanctions on Chinese entities are still in place, and it’s unclear whether China plans to lift sanctions on all the targeted MEPs and entities from 2021, or just some of them.
Sanctioned MEPs include Michael Gahler and Miriam Lexmann from Germany and Slovakia, Raphael Glucksmann from France, and Ilhan Kyuchyuk from Bulgaria.
Reinhard Bütikofer, a German MEP and former head of the EP’s delegation for China, is no longer in office.
Also on China’s blacklist are two EU-affiliated committees, three national parliamentarians, the Mercator Institute for China Studies, the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, and two scholars researching China and Xinjiang.
