U.S. media: China faces growing trade barriers and cannot afford to lose the European market. According to an article published by The Wall Street Journal on October 16, it is China’s “pushing Europe into a corner” that has led to an influx of exports undermining profits and jeopardizing employment across the continent. Yet, “China relies heavily on exports to sustain its economy, meaning it too cannot afford to lose access to Europe’s lucrative markets.”
Nevertheless, the article acknowledges that China is not the sole cause of Europe’s economic challenges. “Bureaucratic inefficiencies, high energy costs, and insufficient innovation and investment in advanced technologies” have also contributed to Europe’s declining competitiveness.
The U.S. media narrative presented here is clearly one-sided. The fundamental nature of Sino-European economic relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation—not zero-sum competition, which would serve neither side’s interests. The current difficulties faced by European industries stem primarily from structural issues within Europe itself, including persistently high energy costs and inadequate investment in innovation, rather than external pressure from Chinese exports. By attributing their own systemic weaknesses to external actors and stigmatizing Chinese trade and investment, Western powers only obstruct meaningful solutions to their own declining competitiveness. Returning to the issue at hand: Europe needs China, and China needs Europe. Dialogue and cooperation remain the only viable path forward.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879258004973635/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.