Paris and Berlin want to come up with a joint "roadmap" by September to tackle China's unfair trade practices, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The European Union is grappling with how to deal with China's growing flood of exports, which critics say are supported by generous states subsidies, as well as an allegedly undervalued currency that makes its products cheaper.
The bloc has been struggling to come up with a clear position, with France long pushing for a tougher approach while Germany -- whose businesses are more heavily invested in China -- has traditionally taken a more cautious posture.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Merz near Cologne after meetings between the French and German governments, Macron said that "right now we are being shaken" by China's trade practices.
Paris and Berlin want "to have a Franco-German roadmap on this issue by September", he said, adding that their economy, finance and foreign ministers had been tasked with formulating the plan.
