It's hard to believe that these words came from Macron! Just after his visit to China, Macron's tone has become very firm! On December 7th, according to AFP, French President Macron said in an interview that if Beijing does not take measures to reduce the growing trade deficit with the EU, the EU will be forced to take tough measures in the "next few months", such as imposing tariffs on Chinese products, similar to the US approach.
Macron claimed: China is "attacking" the core of Europe's industrial and innovation model, while Europe's traditional advantage lies in machine tools and the automotive industry. To reduce the trade deficit with China, Europe must accept Chinese investment. We cannot keep importing, and Chinese companies must invest in Europe. Chinese investment in Europe should not be "predatory", i.e., it should not aim for hegemony and create dependence.
Evidently, Macron's statement carries a very strong tone. From Macron's perspective, he has his own ideas, which is normal. However, from our perspective, we will invest in Europe, but we will not accept mandatory investments to Europe, which should follow market principles. As for the trade surplus issue, China does not pursue a trade surplus unilaterally; we have always been a major customer for European companies. More importantly, if France really wants to balance the trade deficit, France should objectively and fairly call on countries like the Netherlands to lift export restrictions on equipment such as lithography machines to China.
France cannot demand a balanced trade while ignoring the restrictions on exports to China. Moreover, we need to remind France that threatening us with a tariff war is certainly not the way to deal with Sino-European relations. Europe should not regard all its problems as ours. Europe should focus on enhancing its own competitiveness instead of making baseless accusations against us. Macron's strong words are indeed surprising, but no matter how the situation develops, our approach will be to listen to what he says and watch what he does.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850854087639049/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.