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The
agreement has been six years in the making and forms part of the
EU's new relationship with China, which the bloc views as a
partner but also as a systemic rival.
Negotiations, which began in 2014, accelerated this year and are
set to conclude with a political sign-off during an online
meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the head of the
European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council
chief Charles Michel on Wednesday.
Xi was also due to speak separately with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The EU-China agreement, which is likely to take over a year to
enter into force, will allow EU firms to invest in new sectors
and remove some joint-venture requirements.
China is banning forced transfer of technology from foreign
companies and has pledged to be more transparent on subsidies
and bar state-owned enterprises from discriminating against
foreign investors.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by John Chalmers, Larry
King)
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