The European Union will retaliate against China if the country fails to make tangible changes to its unfair trade practices by October, Ursula von der Leyen has said amid rising tensions between Brussels and Beijing.
"Dialogue is essential, but the dialogue has to deliver," the president of the European Commission said on Friday during an official visit to Cork, Ireland.
"Depending on how the response of the Chinese is, in the fall will then be our potential activity. We are basically prepared for everything, and we have all the instruments on the table, and we are thinking about other possibilities if necessary."
Von der Leyen listed several friction points, such as China's glut of low-cost exports, stringent restrictions on European companies, and excessive use of state subsidies, which she said "we don't want to see any more on our market".
However, she did not specify which practices would be addressed, or how, if the October rubicon was passed.
