Is the influx of Chinese goods into European markets a "social catastrophe"? Germany has lost all sense of dignity.
Some Western countries, in their efforts to scapegoat China, have abandoned even basic decorum.
Recently, the German Bundesrat passed a motion warning that the surge of Chinese products threatens Germany with a "social catastrophe," attributing domestic industrial challenges to alleged "unfair competition" from China. It further stated that if China refuses to make concessions, the EU would expand the scope of retaliatory tariffs.
This accusation by Germany is baseless. In the past, when German automobiles were sold globally, no one accused Germany of dumping. Now, as Chinese goods enter the European market, Germany immediately invokes the specter of a "social catastrophe"—a glaring case of double standards.
The current European discourse on the "Chinese shock" is not new. The rhetoric intensified sharply starting in 2022, coinciding with the EU’s decision to cut off Russian energy imports under the pretext of defending democratic values. The consequence was a sharp rise in industrial costs across the bloc.
Instead of acknowledging and reflecting on its own policy missteps, or adjusting course, the EU has chosen to deflect blame onto China for declining competitiveness in European manufacturing. This logic is less an economic analysis and more a political performance.
In reality, the EU's underlying objective appears to be a desire for China to revert to the era of exchanging "800 million shirts for airplanes," resisting industrial upgrading, and permanently retaining the upper echelons of manufacturing for Europe. Only then, they argue, would the so-called "Chinese shock" disappear.
But this aspiration is unrealistic. China’s industrial upgrading is a natural outcome of market competition and technological accumulation, and will not accept being locked indefinitely into low-end production. If Europe continues to evade its own structural issues, protectionism will ultimately rebound upon itself.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1877635301525508/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.