00:00A coalition of EU member states is pushing for a tougher trade regime against China,
00:05ahead of a key policy debate in Brussels.
00:08The proposals are aimed at countering what Europe describes as Chinese industrial overcapacity,
00:15including broader safeguard measures, faster emergency tariffs and new powers to block trade circumvention.
00:25A joint paper signed by France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Lithuania
00:30called for more aggressive use of EU safeguard measures to address sector-wide market disruption
00:36rather than relying solely on product-by-product anti-dumping cases.
00:40Such safeguards would allow the EU to impose quotas or tariffs in cases where import surges are seen to be
00:48harming European industries.
00:49The measures have only been used sparringly in the past,
00:53most notably against import surges of Chinese steel and ferro-alloys,
00:57which are specialised alloys of iron combined with high proportions of other elements usually used in steelmaking.
01:04The push comes just days before a major China-focused debate by the European Commission
01:09as European industries and governments voiced growing concern over economic pressures linked to Chinese competition.
01:15The discussions are expected to help shape the EU's future trade strategy towards Beijing.
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