EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné says trade-defence measures are on the table if talks fail to rebalance trade with China; customs data put the bloc’s July deficit above €1 billion a day, while he says thousands of jobs are being lost weekly.
The EU opened negotiations in June and set October as a deadline for concrete, “credible” outcomes. Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is due in Beijing on 8–9 October; Brussels hopes to secure Chinese commitments to curb exports. Séjourné said the Commission proposed discussing rebalancing sector by sector, while Beijing has resisted voluntary export curbs.
Possible tools include anti-dumping duties and tariffs on unfair subsidies, including in electric vehicles and solar panels. Séjourné warned China could retaliate by restricting rare-earth exports, important to EU industries including defence. He also said the EU is watching a three-day Xi Jinping–Donald Trump summit, whose outcome could affect Europe, and warned US-China trade escalation could spark a trade war that affects the EU.
