European Commission grows hawkish on China

European Commission officials are lining up a sharper China debate for May 29, with hawkish voices gaining ground inside the trade directorate and President Ursula von der Leyen’s team. (euronews.com) Euronews reported that Commission services are weighing tougher tools against Chinese rivals, including the European Union’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, a law that took effect on December 27, 2023. (euronews.com) (europa.eu) The immediate spark was another flare-up over trade. Euronews said China’s commerce ministry threatened retaliation on April 28 over the European Union’s “Made in Europe” legislation on foreign investment conditions. (euronews.com) At the same time, Beijing said one of the biggest sector fights was easing. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said China and the European Union had reached a “soft landing” in their dispute over tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. (bilyonaryo.com) That does not mean the tariffs disappeared. The European Commission imposed definitive countervailing duties for five years on October 29, 2024, with rates of 17.0% for BYD, 18.8% for Geely, 35.3% for SAIC, and 7.8% for Tesla. (europa.eu) Brussels said in that 2024 decision that China’s battery electric vehicle supply chain benefited from unfair subsidies and posed a threat of injury to European producers. It also kept the door open to World Trade Organization-compatible alternatives such as price undertakings. (europa.eu) The Commission’s argument has widened since then. A December 2025 economic security package recast existing trade, raw-material and infrastructure tools with a stronger focus on risks tied to China and export controls. (euractiv.com) German data helped shift the political mood in Brussels. Euronews said officials viewed Germany Trade & Invest figures showing a record €87 billion German trade deficit with China as a turning point. (euronews.com) (gtai.de) The split inside Europe has not disappeared. Euronews reported that some officials still favor engagement through the new channels Brussels and Beijing set up in recent months, even as others argue China is “playing games.” (euronews.com) So Brussels may end up doing two things at once: easing a specific fight over electric vehicles while building a broader policy to screen, deter and answer Chinese economic pressure. (bilyonaryo.com) (euronews.com)