France presses EU to declare trade war against China

Paris is seen as pushing for a probe that could result in Chinese electric vehicles being hit with tariffs.

France is ratcheting up pressure on Brussels to hit back against what it sees as China's unfair advantages in export sectors such as electric vehicles — but the EU is wary about the risks of triggering an all-out trade conflict with Beijing.

The most controversial French idea is that the EU should open a probe paving the way for tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The main European fear is that Beijing can use lavish state support to churn out unfairly cheap vehicles that can flood the EU market at a speed and scale that threaten the EU's own e-car production.

The European Commission is discussing whether to launch an investigation that could allow Brussels to impose additional levies, known as anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs, on such cars, two senior officials told POLITICO.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this year in Beijing that medical devices “are being excluded from the market by discriminatory ‘Buy China' policies,” which is a longstanding concern of European industry. 

The Chinese will have seen this coming. Led by France, the EU has been building more assertive trade instruments for years to make sure the bloc stands ready when it is faced with unfair trading practices or "coercion" — Brussels speak for economic blackmail.

https://www.politico.eu/