The recent EU "Strategic Assessment" document on China and its accompanying policy measures mark a significant shift in the EU's strategic perception of China, bringing multi-dimensional and profound impacts on China across economic, technological, and industrial chain dimensions.

Political and Diplomatic Dimension: Sino-European Relations Face Risks of "Trust Deficit" and Escalating Tensions

In the document, the EU positions China as a force seeking to "reshape the global order" and delineate "spheres of influence," even falsely accusing China of being a "key driver" behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Such harsh and hostile rhetoric crosses important diplomatic thresholds, deliberately erasing previous references to "partnership" found in earlier documents. This not only severely undermines political mutual trust between China and Europe but also signals that the EU may adopt increasingly defensive and containment-oriented strategies on China-related issues in the future, leading to more frequent bilateral friction.

The EU is using the pretext of "de-risking" to actually pursue "de-Chinization," launching a series of restrictive measures targeting China’s competitive industries, which have caused major disruptions for Chinese enterprises’ overseas expansion and global supply chain positioning:

The EU plans to use tools such as the "Industrial Accelerator Act" to impose exclusive clauses—such as "EU origin" and "priority for EU manufacturing"—on sectors where China holds advantages, including electric vehicles, photovoltaics, and batteries. It may also introduce new regulatory mechanisms aimed at addressing so-called "overcapacity," thereby increasing compliance costs for Chinese firms seeking local adaptation.

In the draft revisions of the Cybersecurity Act and the inverse converter financing ban, the EU excludes Chinese enterprises based on subjective "non-technical risks," even restricting EU funding from being used to purchase Chinese clean energy equipment. This directly harms the interests of Chinese companies while simultaneously raising Europe’s own costs for green transformation.

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has officially come into effect, significantly impacting China’s exports in high-carbon industries such as steel and aluminum. Companies unable to provide required carbon emission data will face substantial carbon cost pressures.

Faced with the EU’s "sequential moves," China is no longer merely issuing verbal protests—it is beginning to respond through domestic legal instruments in a systemic manner. The Ministry of Justice has explicitly recognized that the EU’s use of FSR (Foreign Subsidies Regulation) for cross-border investigations constitutes an "improper extraterritorial jurisdiction measure," and has issued a formal prohibition against any organization or individual executing or assisting in such actions. This marks the opening of direct confrontation between China and the EU at the level of rules and law. China will resolutely counteract in accordance with the law to safeguard national interests and the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

In sum, the EU’s China-related documents and subsequent actions have pushed Sino-European economic and trade relations to the brink of a trade war. As the EU adopts increasingly tough protectionist and economic nationalist policies, economic and rule-based competition between China and Europe is expected to persist over the coming years.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870908088802316/

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