EU threatens to freeze huge investment deal with China

The European Union’s parliament is warning China it will not ratify a long-awaited business investment deal as long as sanctions against EU legislators remain in place

BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament warned China on Thursday it won't ratify a long-awaited business investment deal as long as sanctions against European Union legislators remain in place. EU lawmakers adopted a resolution in which they condemned “the baseless and arbitrary sanctions" imposed by Beijing on European individuals and institutions in March. The European Parliament’s criticism was echoed by European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, who said after a meeting of EU trade ministers that China’s sanctions haven't created a favorable environment for a deal to be concluded. “We cannot see this process of ratification outside of the broader context of EU-China relations,” he said.