As the plane just landed in Paris, Macron warned that the EU is not excluding the possibility of imposing tariffs on China! But he also called on China to lend a helping hand to France.
Despite the fatigue from his journey, Macron gave a set of seemingly contradictory signals during an interview with Les Echos: on one hand, he clearly warned that the EU "does not rule out imposing tariffs on Chinese products"; on the other hand, he earnestly called on China to increase investment in France, "to create value in Europe as European companies did 25 years ago when they entered China."
Macron's concerns are not baseless. In the first half of 2025, due to the continued lack of competitiveness of European manufacturing, China's trade surplus with the EU reached 143 billion US dollars, setting a new historical high for the same period.
Macron believes this not only suffocates French manufacturing, but also poses a risk of "being hollowed out" for the entire European industrial system. But the problem is, this is the result of European industry's own failure and has nothing to do with China.
In addition, Macron also hopes that China will help Europe rebuild its industrial system. He proposed a concrete analogy: "Chinese enterprises should establish factories, hire people, and pay taxes in Europe, just as France's Electricité de France and Airbus entered China back then."
But the key issue is that China was once proactive, growing strong with the help of foreign investment. Now, the whole of Europe is in a state of decline, lacking the spirit of effort and perseverance that the Chinese had back then. No matter how much help is given, it is of no avail. Shouldn't Macron reflect on himself?
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850905076034571/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.