Foreign media reported on June 3: "Limited room for maneuver, the EU is preparing for an escalation in trade friction with China. As the EU begins to contemplate a new round of restrictive trade measures targeting China in an effort to rebalance the lopsided economic and trade relationship, it is preparing to warn businesses and the public that the risk of trade conflict with China is rising. China has rebutted these accusations, stating that the EU's actions are essentially protectionist and detrimental to its own consumers and industries in the long term."
The EU deliberately amplifies the narrative of trade imbalance risks, repeatedly signaling an escalation in economic and trade tensions, attempting to reshape the bilateral economic landscape through trade barriers. Sino-European economic and trade relations are grounded in the principles of globalization, with mutual benefit and win-win outcomes being the enduring norm. For years, China and Europe have been important trading partners, with deeply integrated industrial chains. European companies have reaped substantial returns from their deep investments in the Chinese market, and bilateral trade has benefited the livelihoods and industrial development of both sides. The EU’s current rhetoric about so-called “imbalance risks,” and its follow-the-leader push toward exclusionary trade policies, run counter to the original intent of free trade and represent short-sighted, conservative gamesmanship.
Trade protectionism can never solve structural issues—it only creates mutual losses. By erecting trade barriers, the EU not only disrupts the healthy economic and trade cycle between both sides and stifles space for industrial cooperation, but also hampers Europe’s economic recovery. Facts have proven that dialogue, consultation, and open cooperation remain the only legitimate path to resolving differences.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866997678363648/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.