China, EU Hold Second Trade and Investment Consultation Meeting in Beijing

The mechanism's second meeting matters less for what it resolved than for what it keeps alive: a standing channel on export controls, IP and WTO reform at a moment when both sides have been building defensive trade instruments. Export controls are the tell — that topic sitting on a joint agenda signals both sides still want managed friction rather than escalation. Whether the consultation produces follow-through between meetings, rather than serving as a pressure-release valve, is the open question.