A glimmer of optimism is raised by EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell's trip to the Chinese mainland that it may address the EU's protectionist and 'de-risking' moves with the region. The European Commission's move to probe into Chinese-subsidized electric vehicles on October 4 is the latest indicator of EU protectionism increasing rapidly. The Chinese mainland strongly expressed dissatisfaction over the probe, vowing to safeguard Chinese companies. This clearly signals that the Chinese mainland would not tolerate aggressive approaches.
It is now time for senior EU officials including Borrell to take the Chinese mainland's concerns into account. In the case of the EU's bilateral ties, Joseph Borrell may make a significant contribution as one of the prominent policy makers in the EU. If the EU addresses the Chinese mainland's concerns, it may return to pragmatically resolving differences.
Borrell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi co-chaired the 12th EU-China Strategic Dialogue to talk about bilateral ties and foreign and security policy problems. Besides these, it is expected that Borrell will play a positive role to fix unjustified protectionism against the Chinese mainland and stop any kind of trade war. Despite some bilateral issues, the visit shows that the EU values bilateral economic and trade relations. The EU hopes to use Borrell's visit to resolve economic tensions and build political trust with the Chinese mainland.
Since the far-right anti-Chinese mainland hawks in the EU parliament, and even the U.S. as an external influencer, have recently increased pressure on the EU to adopt a position against the Chinese mainland, this visit must work as a spark for positive momentum in Chinese mainland-EU ties.
The EU's proposed measures are blatant protectionism in the name of fair competition and will severely disrupt and distort the global automotive industrial and supply chain, including the EU's, and hurt Chinese mainland-EU economic and trade relations. In spite of being a dedicated supporter of the WTO, the EU has started to oppose the WTO's free and open trade policy.
It seems that the EU seeks to promote a zero-sum competition rather than win-win collaboration, which is not the appropriate approach for international commerce. The EU move may prompt tit-for-tat trade actions between the two biggest trade partners, split the world, and undermine the climate fight, hurting everyone. Instead of unilaterally employing economic and trade measures, the EU should adopt an objective perspective. The Chinese mainland and European car industries have great room to collaborate.
The move could threaten Chinese mainland-EU green technology collaboration. The EU's market openness promise must be implemented to provide Chinese mainland enterprises a fair, impartial, and non-discriminatory business environment. Restricting goods by origin would violate EU WTO obligations. Protectionism can only lead to technical bifurcation and a trade war. The EU needs to recall that Chinese mainland EV producers have gained market share due to a \\"substantial industrial edge\\" in the domestic and internal market, not state subsidies. The EV market in the Chinese mainland is developing for strong demand and competitiveness. Chinese mainland EVs are developing not only in Europe but also South Asia, and the Middle East. Chinese mainland EVs are well-liked abroad and are particularly eco-friendly. People choose them because of their functionality and service.
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Josep Borrell's Beijing visit should address EU's protectionist move
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