Von der Leyen Prepared for "Any" EU Action Against China by Autumn Amid Trade Disputes

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared on Friday that she is prepared to enact "any" trade measures against China this autumn, signaling a firm stance as a deadline for resolving ongoing disputes approaches. "Dialogue is essential, but it must yield results. Depending on China's response, autumn will be the time for our action. We are prepared for anything," Von der Leyen stated at a press conference.

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Dialogue is essential, but it must yield results. Depending on China's response, autumn will be the time for our action. We are prepared for anything.

The EU and China have agreed to a timeframe extending to October to de-escalate their trade disagreements. This period follows a meeting between EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, which resulted in the first joint declaration between the two entities since 2019. A mechanism for exchanging trade flow data was established, and Sefcovic accepted an invitation to visit Beijing in October.

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all the aspects that we criticize, from subsidies, to the overcapacity of goods that arrive on our market or the lack of access of our companies to the Chinese market.

Von der Leyen stressed the need for clarity on all contentious issues, including Chinese subsidies, overcapacity of goods entering the European market, and restricted access for European companies to the Chinese market. The significant annual trade deficit between the EU and China, estimated at 360 billion euros, has been a central topic for European leaders, who have urged the Commission to expedite the use of existing trade tools and develop new ones if necessary. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that dialogue with China must be productive, which he noted is not always the case.

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dialogue with China "must yield results" and lamented that "it is not always the case."