Handelspolitik: China kritisiert Pläne für neue EU-Handelsinstrumente
Deutschland und Frankreich wollen die EU besser gegen unfaire Handelspraktiken schützen. Peking sieht darin Protektionismus. Die Kritik kommt unmittelbar vor wichtigen Handelsgesprächen.
China has criticized Germany and France for their demand of new European protection tools against unfair trade practices. "Protectionism cannot increase competitiveness," said a spokesman from Beijing's Ministry of Commerce. Decoupling and cutting supply chains harmed others and did not benefit themselves, it continued. Germany and France should maintain openness and free trade and adhere to the rules of the World Trade Organization WTO, it was further stated.
Beijing called both countries to avoid moving the EU towards protectionist measures and not to politicize economic and trade issues. Merkel and Macron have both advocated for new protection tools. Systematically market-distorting practices threatened competition for European businesses and led to increasing dependencies, it said in a letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The government leaders propose among others an instrument to prevent too strong dependence on suppliers from individual countries. A procedure should also be created to exclude another country from the European single market in emergency. No specific country is named, but the background is likely to be primarily Chinese trade policy.
The criticism from Beijing comes immediately ahead of new trade talks. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic is expected in Beijing on Thursday and Friday for talks with China's Trade Minister Wang Wentao on the strained economic relations.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
