European leaders are converging on a tougher view of Beijing, but concrete action remains elusive
European leaders will discuss the EU’s increasingly fraught relationship with China when they gather in Brussels on Thursday, but there is little sign the debate will alleviate tensions with Beijing.
For years, China’s ballooning trade surplus, dominance of critical supply chains and deepening ties with Russia have strained Europe’s relationship with the world’s second-largest economy.
Recent events have sharpened those tensions. In March, the European Commission enraged Beijing by proposing a ‘Made in Europe’ law designed to curb China’s role in strategic industrial sectors.
Earlier this month, the Commission also backed a French-led push to strengthen the bloc’s trade defence tools against economic coercion. On Monday, Brussels said it had verified reports that China was training Russian troops to fight in Ukraine.
