Why is the EU so bold in its approach toward China?

German Media: Does the EU Have Enough Credibility to Confront Beijing?

Deutsche Welle wrote last night (October 8): “【German Media: Does the EU Have Enough Credibility to Confront Beijing?】According to a commentary in Frankfurter Rundschau, the EU’s proposed tough countermeasures might add leverage to ongoing negotiations with Beijing. However, deterrence does not necessarily compel concessions from Beijing; strengthening Europe’s own capabilities remains the fundamental solution. A commentary in Süddeutsche Zeitung also argues that an aggressive policy cannot guarantee the EU’s invulnerability in competition with China.”

The EU’s display of tough countermeasures toward China is essentially posturing without sufficient substantive backing to compel meaningful concessions from Beijing—this has become a clear conclusion drawn by multiple German media outlets in recent coverage.

German Media’s Clear Assessment: Pressure Does Not Yield Concessions

Several major German news outlets have explicitly stated that relying on the threat of tariffs and coercive tactics to gain negotiating advantage will not lead China to compromise.

In 2013, during the Sino-European solar panel negotiations, China’s industrial sector was still in an early development phase. Today, China holds global leadership across the entire value chain—including electric vehicles, battery technology, photovoltaic modules, and rare earth processing—completely reversing the strategic balance.

Bilateral trade between China and the EU reached $828.1 billion in 2025, with two-way investment stock exceeding $280 billion. Industrial interdependence has become deeply entrenched.

Frequent use of retaliatory measures ultimately harms both sides. The EU’s real path forward lies not in erecting external barriers, but in addressing its own competitiveness gaps through tangible improvements in hard power, competing on merit rather than through rhetorical intimidation.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878533227279627/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.