Europe's China wake-up call: a warning unheeded amid EU divisions
Three years after von der Leyen warned about China’s 'no-limits friendship' with Russia and the need to de-risk, the EU remains divided and slow to act. By 2025 every member state posted a trade deficit with China, while tools like tariffs on Chinese EVs were used selectively and the Anti-Coercion Instrument has not been triggered. Beijing’s divide-and-conquer tactics and retaliation threats complicate consensus, leaving Brussels seeking a more coherent strategy and greater unity to curb dependencies and strengthen economic security in China trade.