Cai Run Puts Trade Dialogue at Centre of Brussels Diplomacy

China’s ambassador to the EU is pressing a cooperation message as Brussels sharpens its de-risking agenda

Chinese Ambassador Cai Run has made trade dialogue the centrepiece of his recent Brussels diplomacy, meeting European business representatives and publishing a detailed defence of EU-China economic ties at a moment when the European Union is becoming more assertive about industrial dependence, electric vehicles and market access.

In Brussels, ambassadorial work is often measured less by public ceremony than by the quieter struggle to shape the terms of policy debate. For Cai Run, China’s ambassador to the European Union, that debate is increasingly economic: how to keep the EU-China relationship open enough for trade and investment, while responding to European fears about overcapacity, strategic dependence and uneven access to markets.

The Chinese Mission to the EU said Cai held a European enterprises roundtable on 19 May, briefing representatives from 14 European business associations and companies on China-EU relations and prospects for economic cooperation. The event followed earlier exchanges with European Parliament interlocutors and business groups, placing Cai among the foreign envoys in Brussels working to influence not only diplomats, but also firms directly affected by policy shifts.

A message aimed at business confidence

Cai’s public line is that China and Europe should treat differences as manageable disputes rather than evidence of structural rivalry. In a late May opinion piece republished by China’s foreign ministry, he acknowledged EU concerns over the trade imbalance but argued that both sides should address frictions through consultation, market opening and institutional arrangements.

That argument is aimed at an anxious audience. European manufacturers are under pressure from cheap imports, energy costs, subsidy competition and uncertainty over supply chains. Some European companies also remain heavily exposed to the Chinese market, making the politics of de-risking more complex than slogans suggest.

The EU, however, has been moving from general concern to regulatory action. In January, the European Commission issued guidance for Chinese electric vehicle exporters on possible price undertaking offers, following anti-subsidy duties on battery electric vehicles from China. The document underlined that any offer would be judged under EU legal criteria and WTO rules.

Brussels wants dialogue, but not passivity

The ambassador’s activities come as Brussels tries to preserve channels with Beijing while showing that openness is not unconditional. The phrase “de-risking, not decoupling” remains the EU’s preferred formula, but the policy behind it is becoming harder-edged in areas such as clean technology, batteries, raw materials, procurement and investment screening.

This creates a narrow diplomatic lane for Cai. A confrontational tone would reinforce European scepticism. A purely reassuring tone risks sounding detached from the concerns now shaping EU policy. His recent outreach therefore appears designed to keep business actors engaged, present China as a partner in growth, and discourage the EU from treating economic security as a reason for broad restrictions.

For Europe, the question is not only whether China will buy more European goods or allow more market access. It is whether European industries can remain competitive without becoming vulnerable to political pressure, supply disruption or subsidy-driven competition. That is why the debate now extends beyond trade officials into parliaments, boardrooms and national capitals.

An ambassador at the centre of a strategic argument

Cai’s role matters because ambassadors in Brussels operate in a dense diplomatic environment, where EU institutions, member states, trade associations, civil society and journalists all shape the policy climate. China’s mission cannot decide EU law, but it can try to influence how risks are described and how far countermeasures go.

The European Parliament has also kept China high on its agenda. In March, its delegation for relations with China held an exchange of views with Cai and Jorge Toledo, the EU ambassador to China, in a closed meeting on EU-China relations. That format points to the dual nature of the relationship: formal dialogue continues, but much of the most sensitive discussion happens away from public microphones.

The wider context is a more defensive global trade mood. The EU has already faced turbulence in its trade relationship with Washington, as The European Times reported in its coverage of transatlantic tariff uncertainty. With both the United States and China testing Europe’s economic resilience in different ways, Brussels is trying to avoid dependence on any single power while keeping markets open enough to support growth.

That balancing act will define the next phase of Cai Run’s work in Brussels. His recent activities show an ambassador trying to keep dialogue alive. The harder question is whether dialogue can still carry enough trust when both sides increasingly see trade as a matter not only of prosperity, but of security and political autonomy.