The European Commission was forced to defend its investment deal with Beijing from intense criticism in the European Parliament on Wednesday, signaling the challenge it faces in getting it over the line next year, reported the South China Morning Post.
In a lively session of the Committee on International Trade, MEPs accused Brussels of ignoring concerns over China’s labor conditions and “showing the middle finger” to the new Biden administration in the United States.
Europe “needs the economic growth that exists in a country like China”, said Maria Martin-Prat, the EU’s lead investment negotiator with the world’s most populous nation, reported the SCMP.
But outspoken German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, who chairs the parliament’s delegation for relations with China, said the deal was a “Christmas present for Xi Jinping.”