E.U. and China held a discussion on crucial areas of digital policy and technologies
The European Commission held its second High-level Digital Dialogue with China, covering key issues such as platforms and data regulation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), research and innovation, cross-border flow of industrial data and safety of products sold online
The dialogue was hosted in Beijing and was Co-Chaired by the Vice-President for Values and Transparency for the European Commission – Vera Jourova and the Vice-Premier of China – Zhang Guoqing. The dialogue was also attended by the European Union (E.U.) Commissioner for Justice & Competition – Didier Reynders.
During the dialogue, both the E.U. and China engaged in a thorough discussion on crucial areas of digital policy and technologies. The European Commission provided an update on the E.U. regulatory developments, including the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.
Speaking on the occasion, Vera Jourova said, “Today, we had a frank discussion with China on crucial aspects of our digital policies and technology. We want to cooperate where we can make substantial progress. Today, we also took an important step forward on consumer protection. And we need to engage in areas where we disagree. We cannot resolve our concerns and different views in one day but we will maintain the dialogue on digital matters, which are so fundamental for both our economies and societies.”
Taking it to X (formerly Twitter), the European Commission tweeted,
Today, we held a high-level Digital Dialogue with China regarding crucial aspects of our digital policies and technology.
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) September 18, 2023
The topics covered included AI, online platforms, data regulation, and the safety of products sold online.
We will maintain an ongoing dialogue with China.
The European Commission also presented the developments on the AI Act and stressed the importance of ethical use of this technology in full respect of universal human rights. It also reiterated its support for global and interoperable Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) standards and urged the Chinese authorities to ensure a fair, reciprocity-based business environment in the digital field. It also conveyed its concerns about the difficulties faced by the E.U. companies in China to make use of their industrial data.
The European Commission explained its de-risking approach under the European Economic Security Strategy, which consists of mitigating risks to its supply chains, critical infrastructures and technology security.
The two sides also welcomed the signature of the Action Plan on the safety of products sold online. The objective of the Action Plan is to further enhance dialogue and cooperation between the European Commission and the General Administration of China Customs (GACC). Both parties have agreed to rapidly exchange information on unsafe products sold online, organise regular workshops to exchange information and knowledge on laws, regulations and best practices and organise specific awareness-raising and training activities on E.U. product safety rules for companies selling online.
China also shared updates on their policies and practices in the digital domain. Both parties agreed to continue discussions at a technical level by resuming the China-EU ICT Dialogue.
It is to be noted that the first E.U.-China High-level Digital Dialogue was held in September 2020. The resumption of dialogue was announced by the President of the European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen, during her visit to Beijing on April 6, 2023.
