* EU delegation in China to address digital and

e-commerce challenges

* China sees visit as chance to improve EU ties

* EU lawmakers in Taiwan meet with President Lai Ching-te

BEIJING, March 31 (Reuters) - China on Tuesday welcomed

a visit by a delegation of European Union lawmakers - the first

in eight years - as a chance to further stabilise ties strained

by trade policies and political mistrust.

The group of European lawmakers overseeing market and

consumer protection began their visit on Tuesday, Chinese

foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a

regular news briefing.

The trip signals a cautious re-engagement between Beijing and

Brussels, whose relations have been tested by trade imbalances,

China's close relations with Russia despite the war in Ukraine,

and tensions over China's rare earth export controls.

China last year lifted sanctions on several members of the

European Parliament imposed during a dispute over human rights,

as Beijing sought to foster closer economic and political ties

with Europe amid pressure from U.S. tariffs.

Exchanges between legislative bodies are an important

component of China-EU relations, Mao said. "We believe that this

visit will facilitate exchanges and cooperation between the

legislative bodies, enhance the European Parliament's

understanding and perception of China, and contribute to the

healthy and stable development of China-EU relations," she

added.

The European lawmakers will address challenges in the

digital and e-commerce sector as well as foster fair competition

between China and the bloc as they travel to Beijing and

Shanghai, according to a statement issued by the delegation last

week. They will meet with Chinese legislators and ​market

regulators as well as Shein, Alibaba ( BABA ) and Temu.

The visit comes after the EU agreed last week to overhaul its

customs system, including a crackdown on mainly Chinese

e-commerce platforms that face potential fines if they sell

illegal or unsafe products into the bloc.

PARALLEL EU DELEGATION MEETS TAIWAN LEADER

The China visit coincides with a separate trip by a group of

EU lawmakers to Taiwan, led by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann,

Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Security and

Defence, which met Taiwan President Lai Ching-te at his office

in Taipei on Tuesday.

Lai thanked the European Parliament for its "long-standing

and steadfast support" for Taiwan, according to a statement from

the Presidential Office.

Lai also expressed hope that Taiwan and the EU will continue

to deepen cooperation in key strategic industries and work

together to safeguard the universal values they cherish,

including democracy, freedom, and human rights, it added.

In November, Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim visited

Belgium and spoke at a meeting with lawmakers at the European

Parliament, part of an increasingly bold outreach to Europe by

the Chinese-claimed and democratically governed island.

Taiwan's only formal diplomatic ties in Europe are with the

Vatican, but countries from Britain and France to Lithuania and

Poland have disregarded Beijing's complaints to allow visits by

acting or former senior Taiwan officials.

While Taiwan foreign ministers on occasion visit Europe and

other parts of the world that have no formal ties to Taipei, it

is rare for an official as senior as the vice president to do

so, given the risk of Chinese backlash against the host nation.