As EU-China trade friction grows, Beijing had better pay attention to Brussels’ concerns
Beijing’s defiance is wrongheaded. Instead of picking a fight with a major trade partner, China should work with the bloc to preserve market access—especially when it is struggling to boost consumer spending and reduce reliance on exports, which has given it a ‘dual-speed’ economy. Unlike the US, which launched a trade war last year without anticipating Beijing’s potent rare-earths retaliation, the EU has long been preparing for a potential conflict.
