EU ready to make 'full use' of trade defence tools against China, von der Leyen warns Xi

euronews (in English)

The European Union stands ready to flex its muscles to protect the bloc from China's aggressive trade practices, European Commission chief von der Leyen warned Monday following a three-way meeting with Macron and Xi.

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00:00The European Union will stand up to China's aggressive trade practices and protect its

00:07homegrown industries from being decimated. The warning came from Commission Chief Ursula

00:12von der Leyen following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside French President

00:17Emmanuel Macron. It is the clearest sign to date that Brussels is ready for a potential

00:22trade war with Beijing amid speculation the bloc is preparing trade tariffs against some

00:27Chinese products. We stand ready to make full use of our trade defence instruments

00:35if this is necessary. Europe cannot accept market distorting practices that could lead

00:42to de-industrialisation here at home. The Chinese government is propping up its manufacturing

00:49industry with subsidies and cheap loans for its domestic companies. The EU claims that

00:54an influx of inexpensive Chinese products is saturating its markets, preventing European

00:59industries from competing on an equal basis. These subsidised products such as the electric

01:08vehicles or for example steel are flooding the European market. At the same time, China

01:16continues to massively support its manufacturing sector and this combined with a domestic demand

01:23that is not increasing, the world cannot absorb China's surplus production. Brussels

01:32has reacted with anti-dumping inquiries into electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines,

01:39industries considered strategic and where the EU is losing its competitive edge.

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