Cliff Notes – China set to lift sanctions on MEPs in EU ‘charm offensive’
- China may lift sanctions on four Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who were blacklisted in response to EU measures over human rights abuses in Xinjiang
- This has a potential diplomatic thaw as both partners are at odds with US tariffs
- Despite possible sanction relief, the EU remains firm on its own restrictions related to the human rights situation in Xinjiang, making future relations complicated.
China set to lift sanctions on MEPs in EU ‘charm offensive’
They’re just one of many bones of contention between the European Union and China: tit-for-tat Chinese sanctions targeting members of the European Parliament first imposed in 2021 after the EU slapped restrictions on Chinese officials the bloc held responsible rights abuses in Xinjiang.
To this day, the blacklist includes four sitting MEPs whom China accuses of “maliciously spread[ing] lies and disinformation.” The sanctions were the nail in the coffin for ill-fated trade and investment deal inked by the EU and China in late 2020.
But, with US President Donald Trump rewriting the global order and China appearing keen to capitalize on the fallout, change may be afoot.
A European Parliament spokesperson said on Friday that discussions with Chinese authorities on lifting sanctions on lawmakers were “continuing and in their final stages.”
“It has always been the European Parliament’s intention to have sanctions lifted and resume relations with China,” the spokesperson added.
EU and China a simmering relationship
It’s still unclear whether Beijing will halt all restrictions it imposed in 2021 — which impact several current MEPs, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, an ex-lawmaker, and a number of national parliamentarians, think tanks and academics within the member states.
Lifting sanctions could make it easier for MEPs to travel to the country for future talks. But Beijing has an issue with EU, the EU follows the direction set by the US, ad as such makes the bloc an ineffective deal maker.
Miriam Lexmann, one of the sanctioned MEPs, said that the change would mean “practically nothing” for her work and vowed to continue her regular criticism of Beijing.
But experts say the removing of sanctions would mark a change in China’s political tone.
“The move would fuel expectations of an EU-China detente ahead of a summit planned for July in Beijing,” Noah Barkin, wrote in a blog post earlier this week.
Seeking new markets
Trump’s tariff policies have left EU officials feeling let down by the European Union’s biggest historical ally and China on the lookout for new export markets as it grapples with duties of up to 145% on imports to the United States.
“After Trump’s return, the Chinese have been on a charm offensive to convince global actors that they should look to China for a reliable partner,” said Varg Folkman, an analyst with the European Policy Centre.
“The main goal of the Chinese in lifting sanctions is likely to pave the way for trade discussions with the EU,” Folkman said.
Brussels is seeking more cooperation with Beijing to monitor trade flows and keep cheaper Chinese products from flooding into the European Union amid US-China tensions, but Folkman said there were “significant constraints” on any prospect of a broader rapprochement. Beijing’s close ties to Moscow are among them.
US-China trade war intensifies as Xi reinforces Asia ties
Investment deal still in deep freeze
China has long pushed to revive the trade and investment deal it signed with the EU in 2020 before the European Parliament froze its ratification the following year to protest Beijing’s sanctions.
Folkman said China was now angling to unlock progress.
Sanctioned lawmaker Miriam Lexmann said she hoped that the deal is “dead forever.”
Neither Barkin nor Folkman think that there’s any real prospect of reviving the accord.
Even Belgium-based researcher Weinian Hu — who recently penned an op-ed arguing the deal’s content merits a “second chance” — thinks delisting lawmakers would have “limited” impact on China’s hopes for better trade ties.
The European Union and China mark 50 years of formal relations in 2025.
EU to maintain Xinjiang sanctions
The European Union has no plans to mark the occasion with its own sanctions relief.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said on Friday that the restrictions the EU slapped on several Chinese officials and organizations in 2021 were “consistent” with its “long-standing concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang.”
The spokesperson said the European Union had “not observed changes” in the region, home to the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority.
China claims that the EU response to abuses in Xinjiang is “based on lies and false information.”
While Beijing may be preparing to lift its sanctions on EU lawmakers, Brussels is sticking to its restrictions imposed over reported violations in Xinjiang
What happens next?
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is expected to debrief top lawmakers on progress toward ending the sanctions in the coming days.
Folkman said the EU response would depend on how far China goes in reversing its restrictions.
“If they are only lifted on some people — MEPs for instance and not others — it will be viewed as an opportunistic ploy,” he said.
For now, the blacklisted lawmakers are banned from entering Chinese territory and doing business with Beijing, with similar EU restrictions applying to those Brussels holds responsible for what it calls “large-scale arbitrary detentions of, in particular, Uyghurs in Xinjiang.”
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