EU to bolster trade defence tools against China - Report

European Union. Photo: EU

The European Union will expand tools to defend its economy against imbalanced trade with China, the bloc’s industry chief told The Financial Times in a report published Thursday, drawing pushback from Beijing.

The comments come ahead of a special meeting of EU commissioners on Friday focused on how the 27-nation group should approach China to level the playing field.

China’s booming exports have resulted in large trade surpluses with many European countries, putting political pressure on the continent’s leaders to protect local industries.

Stephane Sejourne, EU industry commissioner, said the EU would step up its use of import quotas and tariffs on China to protect certain sectors including chemicals, metals and clean technology against unfair competition.