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China-EU relations
China

EU checking how China-linked firm got on its business board for Global Gateway infrastructure drive

  • Potentially embarrassing revelation for Brussels reported by Post comes amid bloc’s push to de-risk its fraught relationship with Beijing
  • Energias de Portugal SA among companies advising European Commission even though its largest shareholder is China Three Gorges

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Eric Mamer, spokesman for the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has said the matter would be investigated. Photo: EPA-EFE
Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
The European Commission is “looking into” how a company whose biggest shareholder is a Chinese state-owned enterprise ended up on a board of businesses advising its flagship infrastructure drive, Global Gateway.
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On Tuesday, the Post revealed that Energias de Portugal SA (EDP) was among the companies that will advise the commission on “implementation of the Global Gateway strategy and scaling up of Global Gateway flagship”, even though its largest shareholder, China Three Gorges (CTG), is owned by the Chinese government.

Asked about the Post’s exclusive story, commission spokesman Eric Mamer said he did not know how EDP ended up on the list, but suggested it would be investigated internally.

“I believe it’s a matter of public knowledge, since EDP is a listed company, what its shareholding is. I cannot comment on what basis DG INTPA used when it selected this company for the advisory board, that is something that we are looking into,” Mamer said, referring to the EU’s department of international partnerships, which runs Global Gateway.

As EDP’s biggest shareholder, CTG – which is controlled by the Chinese government’s State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) – owns its largest voting rights.

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