Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the European Union to join China in resisting what he termed “unilateral acts of bullying,” a clear reference to the escalating tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. During a meeting in Beijing with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Xi emphasized the importance of China and the EU fulfilling their international responsibilities to safeguard economic globalization and the international trade environment.
Xi’s remarks come as the U.S. has raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, intensifying the trade conflict between the two largest economies. In response, China increased tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%. Xi stressed that “there are no winners in a tariff war” and warned that opposing global trends would lead to self-isolation.
China has stated that further U.S. tariff increases would be ignored, as American goods are already unviable in the Chinese market.
Prime Minister Sánchez echoed Xi’s sentiments, advocating for a more balanced EU-China relationship and urging the U.S. and China to engage in dialogue to resolve trade tensions. He also highlighted the EU’s significant trade deficit with China, calling for efforts to rectify the imbalance.
These developments occur as the EU navigates its position amid U.S.-China trade disputes, with some member states seeking closer ties with Beijing while others remain cautious. The EU has temporarily paused retaliatory tariffs during a 90-day window granted by the U.S., but European leaders continue to deliberate on the bloc’s long-term trade strategy.
The attempts to approach each other is, however, overshadowed by China’s continuing support for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, allowing “dual-use” equipment to be delivered thorugh China, China’s bullying of its neighbors in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the Strait of Taiwan, China’s export of low-cost, made-in-China products and the heavy use of state subsidies to the detriment of foreign competitors, protectionist regulations that prevent European access to the Chinese market, surveillance of private citizens and companies, the repression of the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region, violations of human rights, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.
Couldn’t you find a more recent picture than this 11 year old one? 😀