On 27 August, the EU and China launched the first discussions under the new Cross-Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism.
Sabine Weyand, director-general of DG Trade at the European Commission, met with Vice-Minister Wang Jingtao of the Cyberspace Administration of China to formally launch the new mechanism.
The mechanism will focus on practical solutions to address problems European companies face in China regarding cross-border flows of non-personal data.
This is a deliverable of the political agreement reached in 2023 between European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová and Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing at the EU-China High-Level Digital Dialogue, as well as at the EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue between Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng.
It aims at finding ways to facilitate cross-border transfers of non-personal data for European businesses, as well as their compliance with Chinese data laws. This issue was also raised by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, in their December 2023 meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping, followed by an exchange with China’s premier, Li Qiang, in the context of the last EU-China Summit.
Source: European Commission