Overview
- In an interview with Les Echos, Emmanuel Macron said Europeans could impose duties on Chinese goods in the coming months unless Beijing acts to cut its growing trade surplus with the EU.
- He argued that rebalancing also means welcoming more Chinese direct investment in Europe under strict safeguards, with priorities including batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaics and advanced components.
- Macron said US tariffs have redirected Chinese exports toward Europe, heightening pressure on EU industry that already faced a trade gap of more than €300 billion with China in 2024.
- He noted that any tariffs would require a common EU stance, acknowledging that Germany is not yet aligned and that trade measures are set at the European Commission level.
- The China trip produced around a dozen cooperation agreements and some corporate deals for firms such as Danone, EDF and Veolia, but no concrete movement on Ukraine or major market openings, and no Airbus order materialized.