An unlevel playing field in China costs European companies €17.5bn in missed revenues annually, according to a survey from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.
The findings – which also highlight alleged regulatory discrimination as a key concern for these businesses – come amid rising trade tensions between China and the EU which, if intensified, could start to undermine the close commercial ties and bilateral trade worth more than €1bn a day.
The European Commission is preparing to impose heavy tariffs on Chinese solar panels and has threatened to open an investigation into Chinese telecoms equipment, both steps that Beijing has said are unjustified. More than half the EU member states have this week opposed plans by Karel de Gucht, the EU trade commissioner, to impose provisional duties which would last six months, owing to concerns about the repercussions for business.