China welcomes EU lawmakers' first visit in 8 years as chance to steady strained ties

BEIJING, March 31 (Reuters) - China on Tuesday welcomed a visit by a delegation of European Union lawmakers - the first in eight years - as a chance to further stabilise ties strained by trade policies and political mistrust.

The group of European lawmakers overseeing market and consumer protection began their visit on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a regular news briefing.

The trip signals a cautious re-engagement between Beijing and Brussels, whose relations have been tested by trade imbalances, China's close relations with Russia despite the war in Ukraine, and tensions over China's rare earth export controls.

China last year lifted sanctions on several members of the European Parliament imposed during a dispute over human rights, as Beijing sought to foster closer economic and political ties with Europe amid pressure from U.S. tariffs.

Exchanges between legislative bodies are an important component of China-EU relations, Mao said. "We believe that this visit will facilitate exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies, enhance the European Parliament's understanding and perception of China, and contribute to the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations," she added.

The European lawmakers will address challenges in the digital and e-commerce sector as well as foster fair competition between China and the bloc as they travel to Beijing and Shanghai, according to a statement issued by the delegation last week. They will meet with Chinese legislators and ​market regulators as well as Shein, Alibaba and Temu.

The visit comes after the EU agreed last week to overhaul its customs system, including a crackdown on mainly Chinese e-commerce platforms that face potential fines if they sell illegal or unsafe products into the bloc.

PARALLEL EU DELEGATION MEETS TAIWAN LEADER

The China visit coincides with a separate trip by a group of EU lawmakers to Taiwan, led by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Security and Defence, which met Taiwan President Lai Ching-te at his office in Taipei on Tuesday.

Lai thanked the European Parliament for its "long-standing and steadfast support" for Taiwan, according to a statement from the Presidential Office.

Lai also expressed hope that Taiwan and the EU will continue to deepen cooperation in key strategic industries and work together to safeguard the universal values they cherish, including democracy, freedom, and human rights, it added.

In November, Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim visited Belgium and spoke at a meeting with lawmakers at the European Parliament, part of an increasingly bold outreach to Europe by the Chinese-claimed and democratically governed island.

Taiwan's only formal diplomatic ties in Europe are with the Vatican, but countries from Britain and France to Lithuania and Poland have disregarded Beijing's complaints to allow visits by acting or former senior Taiwan officials.

While Taiwan foreign ministers on occasion visit Europe and other parts of the world that have no formal ties to Taipei, it is rare for an official as senior as the vice president to do so, given the risk of Chinese backlash against the host nation.