Macron on his meeting with Merz: Our views on China-related economic and trade issues have never been more aligned

French and German leaders agreed on Friday to jointly present a "roadmap" on trade with China in September; China is accused of engaging in unfair competition against European industries through monetary policies and government subsidies.

In a joint press conference held in the western German town of Bruhl, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that ministers responsible for economics, finance, and foreign affairs from both countries are currently developing this joint initiative.

This announcement came after meetings of the Franco-German Defense and Security Council and the Ministerial Council. Macron also expressed hope for dialogue with China on exchange rates and financial market openness, aiming to correct what he described as "malfunctioning" conditions.

Macron pointed out: "We are currently going through a period of turmoil." He accused China of "not playing by the rules." The EU's trade deficit with China has now exceeded 1 billion euros per day — the EU largely attributes this massive imbalance to China's unfair practices.

Regarding his talks with Merz, Macron told the media: "We had an excellent exchange, and I feel that our views on issues concerning China have never been more consistent. While we may not fully agree on historical backgrounds or specific positions regarding China, I believe everyone recognizes the impact China is having today."

Macron added: "It must be made clear: Whether in diplomacy or economics, we are not anti-China. But we have a clear-eyed understanding of the situation: Europe faces a daily trade deficit of 1 billion euros with China, meaning tens of thousands of jobs are being destroyed every single day."

"Behind this," Macron continued, "is China’s outstanding performance in innovation — something we all agree on. Regarding cooperation with China to transfer technology to our country — not just importing products, but creating jobs domestically through technology transfer so that we can benefit accordingly, because we are fully aware of this reality."

He added: "Secondly, we also want to protect our businesses and industries — we’ve already seen this in the chemical sector, and it’s evident in machine tools, automobiles, and many other fields. Why are we going through such turbulence now? Because China... is not playing by the rules. That’s why we have strongly supported — and will continue to support — empowering the European Commission to accelerate market investigations and utilize relevant tools to safeguard our industries; this is crucial."

Merz said: "I don’t want a new trade conflict with China, but I do want open dialogue on these imbalances, which come at the expense of our industries and European jobs."

Merz added that a trade conflict would not serve China’s interests either, "because we are mutually dependent." Earlier, on Wednesday in Berlin, Merz had criticized China’s monetary policy during a press conference, emphasizing the "extremely high import volumes, subsidized products, and ultimately pricing" that have brought "negative" consequences to Germany.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1870986256054538/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author