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Hogyan kerüljük el a Kínával való kereskedelmi háborút?
Kereskedelmi háború fenyeget Kínával? A The Ring című heti vitaműsorunkban Sakis Arnaoutoglou (S&D) és Nicolás de la Parte (EPP) megvitatják az EU politikai napirendjének egyik legjelentősebb témáját.
BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/05/07/hogyan-keruljuk-el-a-kinaval-valo-kereskedelmi-haborut
Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven
Kereskedelmi háború fenyeget Kínával? A The Ring című heti vitaműsorunkban Sakis Arnaoutoglou (S&D) és Nicolás de la Parte (EPP) megvitatják az EU politikai napirendjének egyik legjelentősebb témáját.
BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/05/07/hogyan-keruljuk-el-a-kinaval-valo-kereskedelmi-haborut
Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven
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NewsTranscript
00:08Hello and welcome to The Ring, Euronews' weekly debate show broadcasting from the European
00:14Parliament here in Brussels. I'm Stefan Grobe. On The Ring, members of the European Parliament
00:19go face-to-face on some of the biggest issues facing Europe. Today, we want to talk about
00:26EU trade relations with China, which risk becoming so bad that the European economy
00:32may be seriously hit. Luis Alberto has more. Trade tensions between China and the European Union
00:41are escalating after Beijing called on EU member states to revise the bloc's proposed Made in
00:47Europe legislation. The draft proposal of the European Commission seeks to tighten the rules
00:53for foreign companies that want to participate in EU public procurement contracts or benefit
00:58from investment opportunities. The initiative, which aims to bolster Europe's industrial capacity,
01:04was met with criticism by China's commerce ministry, who affirmed that if the EU quote
01:09insists on this punishment and treats China's enterprises in a discriminatory manner, Beijing
01:14would respond with countermeasures. In other words, retaliation. While Europe is trying to
01:20navigate a world of aggressive tariffs by Trump's administration, is it heading toward a full-scale
01:25trade conflict with China? Or can it still strike a balance between protection and cooperation?
01:32A lot to unpack here for our contenders. And here they are.
01:39Sakis Arnautoulou, a Greek MEP from the Socialists and Democrats Group. He's a member of the Delegation for
01:45Relations with the People's Republic of China in the European Parliament. Advocating a pragmatic approach to global
01:50tensions, he cautions against escalation and said, Europe must remain open to cooperation with China,
01:56but it cannot remain naïve. We need a relationship based on fairness, reciprocity and transparency.
02:02The aim is not confrontation.
02:05Nicolás Pascual de la Parte, a Spanish MEP from the Central-Right European People's Party. A career diplomat,
02:11he served as ambassador of Spain to NATO. As an MEP, he's a member of the Committee on Security and
02:16Defense. A strong transatlanticist with a geopolitical outlook, he warns about the global power shift driven by
02:23Beijing, stating, China's export restrictions are an escalation of the weaponization of trade policies.
02:28We have to confront this in a smart way. That means we cannot decouple from China, but we have to
02:34de-risk.
02:36So let me welcome to the ring Sakis Arnautoulou and Nicolás Pascual de la Parte.
02:41Great to see you and thanks for coming on the show. Thanks for having us.
02:46So the aim of the ring is to offer our viewers a glimpse at European Parliament debates.
02:52So you should feel right at home here on set. Are you ready?
02:57Yes, indeed. Okay, let's start with the thing that made headline just a few days ago.
03:03When Brussels presented its made in Europe proposals to strengthen our industrial base,
03:08China reacted with unusual harshness, threatening retaliation. Should we now be scared, Sakis?
03:16Of course not. I mean, what we did was actually the logical thing to do because China started it.
03:22I mean, it started some kind of a weird, let's say unfair competition and unfair trade that we have to
03:28answer back because otherwise we're not going to be able just to defend our industry and defend what we
03:33actually have reached so far. This prosperity that the European Union has, 27 countries together,
03:40this is not something that you can achieve just like that. So we have our methods and so we're going
03:46to defend our methods.
03:47Niklas, this is a proposal coming from the European Commission. Is it dead on arrival after all these
03:55debates we had?
03:56I agree with my colleague. I think that the initial, the initiative from the Commission is based on the
04:01principle of reciprocity. That means that we have to, to relate with China on a real basis and to,
04:10and to demand from them the same treatment as we deliver to them. So far, China has been
04:16taking selectively some norms of the World Trade Organization and disregarding other rules. From now on,
04:22I think that we have to keep with them a fair, transparent relationship based on reciprocity and nothing else.
04:28So the Commission has taken a much more assertive stance towards China recently. Is this the way to go forward?
04:35There is no other way to go forward, because as I said before, and this, it's a critical situation geopolitically
04:43where we also
04:44a lot of new challenges to face. And if we don't find a solution or we won't deal with that
04:51now, because some people and some
04:54would say that Europe has been naive so far. So we had to start at it years ago just to,
05:01to find some kind of a solutions in a way that we're not going to bring us in this difficult
05:06situation.
05:07So it's the only way, I think. That's my opinion.
05:09Tough on China, the right way?
05:11Not tough on China, realistic on China. So far, we have been dealing with them in a way that it
05:16is not any more sustainable.
05:19As I said before, China is disregarding some some rules of the World Trade Organization.
05:23They subscribe to it, but they select pick up selectively what benefit them and disregard those who who doesn't.
05:30China has to get used to deal with the European Union and all the international partners on a basis of
05:36reality and reciprocity.
05:37And what we are trying to do now is to send a clear message to China. We want to engage
05:42with you.
05:42We want not a dependency relation. We want a relation on the same footing. But please be transparent.
05:49Please respect the international law and don't use commerce and trade as a coercive weapon against anybody.
05:55The Chinese have said that that made in Europe is just a vehicle to reduce China's influence. I mean, they're
06:01right here, right?
06:03In a way. I mean, everybody's right from his own position, let's say. But the way they just managed to
06:10do things a little bit secretive and a little bit, you know,
06:14the way they just proceed the whole time is just a way that we cannot let it happen. As I
06:20said,
06:23we're not against China. We have to be clear. We want China as a partner. I'm not saying that we
06:27don't need China and China needs us.
06:30So a huge market. So China needs to also to consider that if it loses us, then it's going to
06:34have problem problems.
06:36Also, we want another China. We don't want another. I mean, it's very difficult to say China is exactly what
06:44it is.
06:44We have to adapt and they have to adapt both sides because the reciprocity is the main thing.
06:51Adapting is a is a nice word, Nicolas, because it's ironic that Chinese are accusing us of doing things, practices
07:00that China does at home or is promoting at home.
07:04For example, restricting access to key industries, limiting public procurement, pursuing aggressive industrial policies that support and finance strategic sectors.
07:17So why should we not hit back? The reality is that the access to the public procurement in China is
07:24nearly zero for European enterprises because there are a lot of obstacles,
07:28a lot of restrictions, legal and non-legal. In addition to this, they use a kind of a state-run
07:33economy in which they have a state-run banks,
07:36which give financing to the enterprises at zero cost, zero financial cost, so that they can dump us out of
07:45the market.
07:46And once they have the monopoly of this product, they increase the prices. They have done many times.
07:51Aluminium, steel, batteries, electric cars. They follow all the same pattern.
07:57They can have a financing at privilege rates, obviously, because all the banks in China are a state-run.
08:04It is the Communist Party who decide where the money goes to.
08:07And once they dump us out because they can they can compete with lower prices, they increase the prices when
08:13they have the monopoly of the market.
08:14It cannot continue like that. So is that what we call de-risking?
08:17The risk, of course. I mean, we cannot depend on we want to have a trade engagement with China.
08:23Yeah. Obviously, in transparent manner, but not to depend on them in strategic inputs.
08:30And so far, we still depend on many sectors on them, mainly on rare earths, critical minerals and so on
08:37and so forth.
08:37We should reduce this dependency in order to have a fair relationship.
08:43Doesn't de-risking mean also protectionism? I mean, we're dealing with a country here.
08:50I mean, we have to deal with a country where we need to play nice.
08:53But the country is not sharing our set of values. Isn't that the poor problem?
08:57It's OK. That's a new era that everybody wants to rule the world in a way.
09:02I mean, as far as the trade is asserted.
09:05But it doesn't mean that Europe has to let it happen the way that some countries want it.
09:12But to protect your values, to protect your principles is not bad, because if you just let China do what
09:18it wants, then there's a huge possibility in the coming years that the cheap products are going to be affordable
09:26for the citizens of Europe, because we're not going to be jobs.
09:28They're not going to be industries in order to produce things.
09:33So we have to face it and we have to see, are we going to let it happen the way
09:37the Chinese want it or are we going to enforce our industry so that the citizens, the European citizens are
09:43going to be able in the long run basis, be able to buy, produce and buy products from wherever they
09:49want.
09:49So if we, as Europeans, as a union, act as a sovereign bloc, the way China acts as a sovereign
09:58country, doesn't that make a trade war inevitable?
10:02Not at all. I think that once we are able to act united vis-à-vis China, we will have
10:10a better standard to deal with them.
10:14I mean, China is always trying to divide us. China prefers to deal with us on a bilateral basis.
10:20And it's fair. They try to get benefit dealing bilaterally with all of us.
10:25We have to offer a common consensual strategy vis-à-vis China, which is not either offensive or defensive.
10:32It is fair. We ask for fairness and to, I mean, we have to be clear in China 30, 40
10:37years ago had no technology at all.
10:39I mean, we Europeans and the Americans, we have been exporting and transferring to them a lot of technology because
10:46it was a request from them.
10:47You could not invest in China. You could not sell in China unless you transfer technology.
10:52And they have benefited from this transfer in order to compete with us, disregarding sometimes the WTO rules.
11:00All right. So let me stop you just here as we're getting warmed up right now.
11:10Now it's time for our viewers to get a real flavor of the European Parliament chamber where members ask each
11:16other questions.
11:17And sometimes it can get heated. That means it's time for you guys to challenge each other directly, just as
11:25you do in the Hemis cycle behind us.
11:27So let's get started. Sakis, fire off.
11:30So I just wanted to ask, Michael, because EPP, I mean, says sometimes all the time, I mean, we have
11:37to enforce interest to which I agree.
11:39But I have the feeling that the citizens, the everyday citizens for EPP is not, you know, is not included
11:47the way that should.
11:48So if the market works so well, why the citizens, the European citizens are complaining still?
11:54Well, because I mean, because the market is working well when the participants in the market wants to play fair.
12:00The Chinese have not played fair so far. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
12:05And the only request we demand from them is that they have to respect all the WTO rules and to
12:12deal with us on a fair basis.
12:13That is all the market normally reassign or we adjust the differences.
12:20But in this time, not because China is not a normal commercial partner.
12:25It is a state capitalism in which the Communist Party take decisions on its own that normally in our countries
12:32is taken by the market.
12:33This is the difference. Follow up, Sakis.
12:36And then what about the wages stagnated? And so there is no prospect that the wages are going to be
12:43to be a reason the way that you sometimes you say in the European Parliament that you are going to
12:50be able to raise wages in a way according to your plan.
12:54But I don't think that it's possible the way that geopolitically is what's going on at the moment.
12:59Well, I think that wages are dependent on the international markets.
13:04I mean, capitals, jobs and wages travel across the world.
13:09And it's very difficult to fix a wage in Europe which is not competitive vis-à-vis China, vis-à
13:14-vis the US.
13:15Nowadays, we have not to compete among ourselves in Europe, as used to be the case.
13:19Now we have to compete internationally very toughly with the US, with China and with other competitors.
13:24The wages will be the result of many factors, as you know.
13:28It's not a question for us Europeans to decide which is the perfect level of wage.
13:33The wage is the result of income, of technology, of the workforce training, of input, of the prices of the
13:41raw materials, of many things.
13:43But it's clear that in an international trade scenario, the competition will be much tougher than before.
13:50And the wages will reflect this reality.
13:52Okay, Nicholas, carry on and ask Sakis a question.
13:56Well, I have a couple of them.
13:59I mean, to what extent can the guliness to engage in dialogue, as you say, with China, be interpreted as
14:07a lack of firmness in the face of unfair trade practices?
14:10You know, we always have to try.
14:12I mean, the dialogue must always be here.
14:14Because otherwise, misunderstandings can crop up in a way that cannot be reversible.
14:20So I think we have to stick on our values.
14:23I have to, I mean, I've been in contact with Chinese people and stuff, and they're also willing to understand.
14:28But we have to make clear that it's not that we have, we're targeting China.
14:35This is absolute, what we should do.
14:39We just want to protect our values within a dialogue that can bring us closer and closer for the benefits
14:47of our nations.
14:48Follow-up?
14:50Yes.
14:50In the European Union, if the European Union does not respond with strong measures towards China, what alternatives do you
14:59propose to prevent the loss of competitiveness in key sectors such as electric vehicles, for instance?
15:05Yes, we're already trying it with Mercosur, for example, just to find some other markets.
15:10But we have to be very careful because EPP is a little bit too open to markets.
15:15But we have to also take into consideration that we have citizens, we have producers that might be affected by
15:23those openings to other markets.
15:25Yes, to opening to other markets, it's necessity, it's necessary, but not with every cost.
15:32All right. Well, we've heard the views from our guests.
15:36Now it's time to bring in a new voice.
15:42For our quote of the week, I would like to bring in Maro Sefkovic, the EU Commissioner for Trade and
15:48Economic Security.
15:49A few days ago, he told Euronews how he believes we should deal with China.
15:54Take a listen.
15:55We are not interested in any trade wars.
15:57And I made it clear from the day one.
16:00And I engaged from the day one with our Chinese counterparts.
16:04I was in Beijing.
16:05We had a meeting with Vice Prime Minister Halifeng.
16:08And I'm in regular contact with my counterpart.
16:10We cannot have a trade deficit of 1 billion euros a day.
16:14We cannot have a deficit of 360 billion a year.
16:18It's simply unsustainable.
16:19I think what we need is indeed strategic patience, lots of courage to deal with the difficult issues,
16:25because the war is easy to declare, but it's very difficult to stop.
16:30And therefore, I think what we need is to have regular structured talk also with China.
16:37I would say crystal clear about that we would fight a tooth and nail for every European job,
16:42for a European company, for every European sector, if we see that they are treated unfairly.
16:47That's our job.
16:48So, we need strategic patience and a lot of courage.
16:52Do you agree with him?
16:53Yes, I do.
16:54The point with China is that they have an overproduction, a yearly overproduction,
16:58and the commissioner has pointed out of around 600,000 million euros a year.
17:03Why?
17:04Because there is no domestic demand, because they don't have a welfare state.
17:09Then the Chinese, they save much more than us, because they don't have any future sustained
17:14by any kind of subsidies coming from the state.
17:17Then they don't spend as much as they could.
17:19They save a lot.
17:20And that's why the national demand doesn't absorb the overcapacity of the China economy.
17:25And this overcapacity is sent abroad, and this imbalance we have to correct.
17:29Sakis, where do you come down on this, hearing the commissioner?
17:33I think our viewers have to understand that patience, of course, is necessary.
17:38But on the other hand, we also, as we said, strategically, we have to go on.
17:43Europe has very many benefits.
17:46But for me, the only mistake that Europe still is doing is to take decisions very slowly.
17:53And we need to just accelerate all this stuff, because otherwise, I mean, United States and
17:58China in that matter, I mean, the decision making is so fast that we cannot follow up.
18:04So I think we need to accelerate everything in order just to cope up with all this situation globally.
18:10The commissioner also said that a trade deficit of 360 billion euros is unsustainable economically and politically.
18:17How can we prevent it from ballooning further?
18:21Is that even possible, Nicholas?
18:23Of course it is.
18:24I mean, they have to open their market.
18:26Not only the private market, but the public procurement market that so far, as I've said before, is nearly closed
18:32because of so many restrictions.
18:33Second, they have to play the game with the same rules.
18:39They cannot have this kind of subsidized help and assistance to the enterprises to compete abroad.
18:46These subsidies have to disappear and they have to compete on the same level of fairness.
18:50And third, they have to not to overproduce things that they cannot consume at home and they have to sell
18:58abroad.
18:58I mean, it's a kind of many factors that we have to balance.
19:01And of course, we have to be more aggressive and more competitive in the Chinese market.
19:06Of course, it is possible if you invest in your industry and you just don't want to have your green
19:11transition only by importing products from abroad, especially from China.
19:16Then you in the end is going to end up outsourcing jobs and having no jobs at all.
19:23But taking all the products, especially from China, this is going to be a huge imbalance.
19:28So we need to be very careful.
19:30And we can change the whole rhythm towards you.
19:34We have to invest in the right industry.
19:36Exactly.
19:37OK, lots of stuff to talk about here.
19:39Let's take a break on The Ring right now.
19:41We'll be back with more after this.
19:43Don't go away.
19:53Welcome back to The Ring, Euronews' weekly debate show from the European Parliament.
19:58I'm Stefan Grobe and I'm joined by Sakis Anautoglou, a socialist from Greece, and Nicolas Delaparte from the European People's
20:05Party from Spain.
20:06At this point, let's remind ourselves how big an economic power China is and how important our trade with that
20:14country is.
20:15So China recorded a 1.2 trillion global trade surplus in 2025.
20:20The EU's trade deficit with China reached roughly 360 billion last year.
20:27China accounts for 560 billion euros in EU goods imports last year, making it the EU's largest import partner.
20:37And EU imports from China increased by 6.5% year on year in 2025.
20:44So calls for rebalancing have for the most part gone unheard, right?
20:50Is that a debt concept, Sakis?
20:53You know, I mean, seeing all this, it's terrifying when you hear all these numbers, because actually, when I read
21:01it and one of the viewers see it, I mean, sometimes it's a huge imbalance in how we're supposed to
21:06cope up with it.
21:07But it is possible, and it is some kind of a way of bringing it back, taking the measures that
21:16we set. Otherwise, it's going to be huger the differences in the next couple of years.
21:24Niklas, to what extent is EU policy towards China being shaped by pressure from the United States? Because this is
21:33a player we cannot forget here.
21:35I think that we have to have our own autonomous foreign policy and trade policy.
21:40I would like to have a kind of common approach with the United States to go hand in hand vis
21:45-à-vis China.
21:45But we have to defend our own interests and our own identity features, hopefully with the United States.
21:52But we have, as I said, to keep our own approach.
21:56That means a couple of things.
21:58We have said before that what is the homework that the Chinese have to carry out.
22:01But we, on our side, we have also our homework to do.
22:04We have to be more competitive in many disruptive technologies in which there is a catching up need for the
22:10European Union,
22:11whether artificial intelligence, counting computing, robotics, the data on the cloud, biotechnology.
22:19It's not only to request the Chinese to trade fairly.
22:22It is also for us to be more competitive.
22:25We need to do our homework.
22:27We need to do our homework.
22:27Is that also signing the U.S. trade deal?
22:31We need to be very careful when voices like today's voice from the other part of the Atlantic, I mean,
22:40send different messages.
22:41OK.
22:42You know, Mr. Trump did one very good thing.
22:45It brought together the European countries more quickly than it happened before.
22:52So I think it's a very nice lesson and it's a huge opportunity just to take advantage of all this.
22:58Do you agree that Trump, I might say Putin as well, are kind of helping us to get unified on
23:07trade policy?
23:07Yes, somehow both of them are external federators.
23:10And we perhaps should set up a monument to both of them because they are reinforcing the unity and the
23:16coherence of the European Union.
23:17When we talk about Trump, be careful what you wish for.
23:20OK.
23:20No, that's the point.
23:21I think that, I mean, the European Union normally reacts before crisis in a way that it doesn't normally do.
23:28The point now is that, as my colleague has said, time is of the essence.
23:32We'll have too much time to react because things are happening at a pace, at a breakneck pace, and we
23:38have to react quickly.
23:40We have to set up a clear strategy towards China, which is not aggressive, which is not defensive.
23:47It is fair.
23:48And we have to demand from them something that we have to do here at home as well.
23:52Time is of the essence.
23:54Yes.
23:54And now it's time to move on to our fifth and final round.
24:02And now I want to do something different.
24:04I'm going to ask you a set of questions and you can only answer whether yes or no.
24:10All right.
24:10So I guess I start with you.
24:12Is access to the Chinese market still essential for Europe's economic growth?
24:16Yes.
24:17Yes, indeed.
24:19OK.
24:20Were the EU's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles worth the risk of retaliation?
24:27Yes.
24:29Yes, indeed.
24:31But I think the Chinese need to understand that we're not focusing on targeting China.
24:36We just try to protect our values.
24:38OK.
24:39Long yes.
24:41Would you buy a Chinese car if it's considerably cheaper than a European one?
24:46I would.
24:47I mean, I'm not saying no.
24:48But the thing is that because, you know, if you don't have the money, you have to do something.
24:54OK.
24:54But on the other hand, yes, I would.
24:56Yes, you would.
24:57Nicholas.
24:58It depends on the quality, not only on the price.
25:00The quality for me is very important.
25:02Excellent.
25:02And I think that European cars are better.
25:04All right.
25:04Are WTO mechanisms still effective?
25:08Yes and no, in a way.
25:10But we have to let's to reform some because there's some more.
25:14Some of them are old and, you know, things are changing very rapidly.
25:17Right now, mechanisms are effective.
25:19Yes or no?
25:20Not entirely.
25:21OK.
25:22Is the EU's new industrial policy compatible with open trade principles?
25:27Of course.
25:28That is one of our main objectives.
25:30Yes.
25:31Good.
25:32Indeed.
25:32Are bi-European measures a necessary correction?
25:41Yes.
25:42In a way.
25:43It definitely may be, but yes.
25:45OK.
25:46Now, squeezed between Trump's America and China, should Europe become more protectionist?
25:52Not at all.
25:54No, we don't need to bring protectionism.
25:59Stay open, but very careful.
26:01OK.
26:03Can Europe realistically compete with China's state-backed industrial scale without similar
26:10subsidies?
26:11No.
26:12We cannot compete, but we have to force them to abide by the international rules.
26:18Not for us to disregard the international rules.
26:20OK.
26:21Finally, was there anything over the last half hour that you agree with your opponent?
26:26Well, actually, we have agreed on many things most of the time, because we have a very sensitive
26:32approach.
26:33We expect from China fairness, reciprocity, and good governance in international trade.
26:40And we are ready to offer them the same.
26:42That's why we share very much our approach.
26:45I don't think that there is space for disagreement nowadays when we have something in common, just
26:51to protect and save our industry and our European citizens.
26:55So, for me, I've agreed also in many, many things with my colleague.
26:58OK.
26:59So, we have a common ground here between the People's Party and the Socialists.
27:03Fantastic.
27:04Well, it's good for Europe.
27:05That's good for Europe.
27:06Right.
27:06And that final answer brings us to the end of this edition of The Ring.
27:11Thanks again to Sakis, Anna Autoglou, and Nicolas de la Parte for a lively conversation
27:16here from the European Parliament.
27:18Thanks to our audience at home.
27:20If you like, you can continue the conversation by sending us your comments to the ring at
27:26euronews.com.
27:27That's it for today.
27:29I'm Stefan Grobe.
27:30Take care and see you soon on Euronews.
27:32Bye.
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