(Yicai Global) Sept. 17 -- The 32nd round of negotiations of an China-EU investment agreement will be held next week, China's Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng announced at a press conference today.

China and the EU have overcome the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and are speeding the pace of negotiations. Six rounds of formal consultations have already been held thus far this year.

The two sides will focus on remaining textual and market access issues and actively explore solutions in the next stage of their virtual exchange, Gao added.

The leaders of China and the EU agreed on Sept. 14 to accelerate their discussions and try to seal the deal within the year. When reached, the treaty will give European companies greater access to the Chinese market and prevent the EU from erecting trade barriers.

Editor: Ben Armour