Germany and France push for stronger EU trade defenses against China
Germany and France have proposed new EU trade defense mechanisms against China, triggering criticism from Beijing ahead of high-level trade talks.
Germany and France have jointly proposed granting the European Union stronger trade protection instruments to counter unfair economic practices from China. The proposal, backed by French President Emmanuel Macron and German politician Friedrich Merz, includes mechanisms that could restrict Chinese access to the EU market during trade conflicts.
The initiative comes ahead of a visit by EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič to Beijing for talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, as well as an EU leaders' summit in mid-October. Beijing quickly criticized the proposal, with China's Ministry of Commerce warning against protectionism and supply chain decoupling, urging European leaders to adhere to World Trade Organization rules.
Sources: FAZ, Tagesschau, ORF, Handelsblatt, Der Spiegel.
Sources
- Handelsblatt — EU: Deutschland und Frankreich wollen „Kill-Switch“ für China-Handel
- FAZ — „China-Schock“-Antwort: Berlin will China im Konfliktfall vom EU-Markt ausschließen
- Der Spiegel — China-Politik vor EU-Gipfel: Macron und Merz drängen auf härteren Kurs
- Tagesschau — Vor EU-Besuch in China: Erwartungen so hoch wie das Handelsdefizit
- ORF — China kritisiert Pläne für neue EU-Handelsinstrumente