EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will travel to Beijing on October 8 and 9 for two days of make-or-break meetings with Chinese officials. The talks aim to stave off a trade war between the European Union and China.

The EU has toughened its stance against what it calls unfair competition in critical sectors such as cars. European leaders warn of a ‘China Shock 2.0’ as Chinese firms shift into high-tech manufacturing.

Sefcovic had warned in summer that the EU expected tangible results by October. Brussels wants to cut its trade deficit with China, which runs at about 1 billion euros a day.

China has opened an anti-dumping investigation into a chemical imported from the EU, p-nitrotoluene, days before the talks. Beijing has warned it will retaliate against any EU moves targeting Chinese firms.

Experts caution against expecting a major breakthrough. Analysts say the meetings may produce only agreements on specific issues rather than a broad settlement.