Opportunities and challenges for EU-China trade relations

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we focus on trade
relations between the EU and China.


We asked Alicia Garcia Herrero, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, where
relations between China and the EU stand at the moment, and why
their trade relations are so important.


Currently the US seems more interested in the Pacific than its
Atlantic alliance. Does this situation leave any room for the EU
and China to get closer? We asked Pascal Lamy, former General
Director- of the World Trade Organisation.


Lawrence Lau, Professor of Economics at the University of Hong
Kong, told us why he believes that both China and the EU can
benefit from closer relations.


We spoke with Jianwei Xu, Visiting Scholar at Bruegel, about the
effects of Brexit on the EU-China relations: what would happen if
the UK strikes a free trade agreement with China before the EU
does?


Finally we discussed the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, which
aims to reduce transportation costs between China and the EU. We
asked professor Lau what this initiative entails, and Alicia
shared her opinion on potential opportunities and dangers that
the initiative can bring to Europe.


SPEAKERS Alicia Garcia Herrero, Senior Fellow, Bruegel Pascal
Lamy, former General Director, World Trade Organisation Lawrence
Lau, Professor of Economics, University of Hong Kong Jianwei Xu,
Visiting Fellow, Bruegel


CREDITS Presented and produced by Vanessa Cotterell and Giuseppe
Porcaro