China, EU Hold Second Trade and Investment Consultation in Beijing

The value here is less the meeting itself than the framing both sides chose: calling it a starting point rather than an end point signals the channel stays open even where positions diverge. That matters most for cross-border trade and investment flows that depend on predictable bilateral engagement, including the commodities and industrial supply chains both blocs are exposed to. Whether this consultative format produces concrete outcomes, rather than recurring diplomatic language, is the open question worth watching.