BEIJING - China and the European Union have made progress in the 33rd round of bilateral investment treaty negotiations, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

The negotiations from Oct 18 to 23 focused on the text of the agreement as well as the issue of market access, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng said at a regular news briefing.

Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, China and the EU had eight rounds of formal negotiations this year and both sides have taken measures to facilitate practical solutions.

Last month, the leaders of China, Germany and the EU agreed in a video conference to wrap up the negotiations this year.