EU, China, and evolving trade strategies

The Financial Times reports that the European Union (EU) is preparing tougher defenses to protect entire sectors from Chinese overproduction. Reuters finds China and the EU on a collision course, as Brussels broadens tariffs and quotas while Beijing decries selective data and protectionism. Politico reports that Macron is pushing for US-style trade powers to protect strategic EU sectors. Bloomberg notes that the EU’s diversification push still leaves unresolved its dependence on Chinese inputs. The Financial Times profiles EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič as a pragmatic negotiator whose success with the US and United Kingdom now faces a tougher test in China.

Mentioned publications

HF sponsored access EU to broaden import quotas and tariffs against China – Ian Johnston, Financial Times, May 28, 2026
Johnston reports that the EU is preparing a more “muscular” use of trade defenses to protect entire industrial sectors from Chinese overproduction and unfair competition. The goal is not to break with China, but to force a “real rebalancing” before member states turn to their own protection measures and fragment the single market.
China says EU using trade data selectively to justify import curbs, warns of response – Colleen Howe and Julia Payne, Reuters, May 28, 2026
China and the EU are on a collision course over trade policy, with Brussels moving to broaden tariffs and import quotas to shield key industries from Chinese imports, while Beijing accuses the bloc of using trade data selectively to justify protectionism.
Macron calls for US-style trade powers to protect strategic EU sectors – Giorgio Leali, Politico, May 22, 2026
Leali reports that French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for a European equivalent of Section 301, arguing that the EU must accept protective and safeguard measures to defend strategic industries when its sovereignty is at stake.
EU seeks out trade partners while China dependency remains – Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg, May 22, 2026
The updated EU-Mexico trade agreement is part of Brussels’ effort to diversify trade partnerships amid uncertainty over the US, but Europe still faces the limits of trade liberalization and a much trickier question over how to balance its reliance on Chinese inputs with a tougher stance on China.
HF sponsored access The EU’s ‘Mr. Fixit’ – Andy Bounds, Financial Times, May 22, 2026
In an interview with EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, Bounds finds that Šefčovič’s trade diplomacy rests on understanding partners, keeping talks open, and crafting compromises, an approach that has helped him manage the US and UK but now faces its toughest test with China.