Before high-ranking EU officials came to China, they issued a ultimatum: China must make "rectifications within 20 days." On September 8, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis declared that China must present a "preliminary action plan" on trade deficit before his visit to China at the beginning of October.
The EU has three main demands: narrowing the trade deficit, removing barriers, and increasing transparency in rare earth and chip exports. If no agreement is reached? Then "the market will be closed." This isn't negotiation—it's a declaration of war.
It's true that the EU's trade deficit with China is expanding. But equating this deficit directly with "China must account for it" is overly simplistic logic. China's competitiveness is rising, while the EU's structural adjustments are slow, and global supply chains are still being restructured—complex factors compressed into a single demand: "You must rectify immediately."
More critically, there's the "20-day deadline." Normal negotiations are based on mutual respect; unilaterally setting time limits is clearly pressure. Why is the EU in such a hurry? Because EU leaders’ summit is about to begin, and Brussels needs a "list of tough achievements against China" to show internally. In short, this is a political performance staged for domestic audiences.
The EU is imitating the United States—but the U.S. has waged trade wars against China for years, yet the trade deficit hasn’t shrunk, tariffs have been borne by its own consumers, and manufacturing hasn’t returned. The EU sees only the posture of pressure, not the cost. Blindly copying the American playbook, restricting Chinese goods while potentially undermining their own exports.
There’s already a functioning dialogue mechanism between China and the EU, covering issues like trade balance, export controls, intellectual property rights, and WTO reform. Bypassing this mechanism and issuing public ultimatums reveals that the real goal isn't solving problems—it's creating an image of being tough.
Packaging the gap in industrial competitiveness as "unfair competition by China" means the diagnosis is wrong. The real solution lies in boosting R&D and optimizing structures—but that takes time. Blaming China is far more satisfying.
The consequences are easy to predict: if tensions escalate, inflationary pressures in the EU will only grow, and tax hikes will ultimately drive up prices. Sino-European trade is massive, and both sides are vital partners. Breaking things off benefits no one.
The EU stands at a crossroads: one path leads to reality—the deep economic interdependence between China and Europe, mutual reliance; the other leads to emotion—concerns over widening deficits and mounting internal pressures. Ultimatums reflect emotions overpowering facts. But trade, in the end, must return to the realm of facts.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875907040439308/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.