Can Europe stay united in China trade battle? Ceuta migrant crisis offers a warning

Europe's traditional August break was meant to offer a pause before tackling a challenging autumn of trade relations with China. However, a migrant crisis on the EU's southern border has instead created internal turmoil, casting doubt on the bloc's readiness for economic confrontations.

The crisis erupted when an estimated 72,000 migrants, primarily from Morocco, entered Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa, after Moroccan border controls appeared to falter. The influx, which resulted in at least 75 deaths, has fueled suspicions that Moroccan authorities deliberately used the migrant surge as leverage, possibly in retaliation for Spain's improved ties with Algeria, a rival to Morocco.

"We had a real-time test of what happens when one member state was under coercion," said Alberto Rizzi, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Everybody was very quick to jump on that." The incident has highlighted existing fault lines within the EU, with some member states expressing concerns about security and immigration policies, potentially complicating unified action on broader geopolitical and economic challenges.

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We had a real-time test of what happens when one member state was under coercion. Everybody was very quick to jump on that.