The European Commission vowed a tougher approach to trade with China, but is contending with debates between countries that want more aggressive measures and those seeking to protect economic ties with Beijing.
Last week, the bloc discussed proposals to curb the flood of cheap Chinese imports into Europe, prompting Beijing to threaten countermeasures.
Any actions by the commission, however, will have to navigate disagreements between France — which has advocated for robust measures — and Germany, which is wary of retribution from its top trading partner. But the EU’s “biggest challenge is not necessarily just the lack of tools,” an analyst at a German think tank told Politico. “It’s a question of making them and putting them into use.”