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EU looks to strengthen position in trade talks with China

Oct 19, 2026, 6:37pm EDT
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers opening remarks during EU-China summit
Mahesh Kumar A./Pool via Reuters

The EU may finally be meeting the moment on China, analysts argued. European capitals, having recently won a cap on Beijing’s hybrid vehicle imports, are finally developing “the backbone” to battle China’s massive trade surplus and have the tools to do so, an economist wrote in The Wire China.

But even an “impressive collection” of trade instruments means little without the wherewithal to use them, a Chatham House expert argued in Foreign Policy.

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for “a coalition of countries” to counter “the Chinese juggernaut,” warning in The Times that without one, Beijing “will succeed in creating a world in which we are all dependent on China while China depends on no one.”

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