While Chinese-made products fill the EU market and threaten thousands of jobs, the European Commission is stepping up its work to protect the bloc's production from the risk of China ’ overproduction.
The move comes after data from Chinese customs showed Beijing ’ raised $113 billion more in the first four months of 2026’ than $91 billion in the same period as EU-27 and 2025’. While the surplus increased by $22 billion in 12 months, AB’'s trade deficit with China had already reached 359.9 billion euros in 2025’te.
In recent weeks, Beijing has repeatedly threatened retaliation for various EU laws restricting Chinese companies' access to a single market, while pressure on Brussels is mounting.
On Friday, China also banned these companies from communicating with the Commission on EU foreign subsidy investigations.
To address the China issue and try to ensure equal conditions, EU Commission members are set to discuss the issue on May 29, ’. What options does Europe’ have on the table?
1. Reducing dependence on Chinese components
Financial TimesOn Monday, the European Commission reported that ’nda is in preparation for a plan that would force EU companies to purchase critical components from at least three different suppliers.
The idea is that for products that can be purchased from a single supplier, the approximate %From 30 to %It will be necessary to set thresholds of 40’, the rest of which must be obtained from at least three different suppliers, not all from the same country.
The proposal comes after China’ restricted exports of rare earth elements and chips critical to AB’'s key industries, such as green technology, cars and defense, last year.
2. Targeting strategic sectors with tariffs
In its economic security strategy, which it presented last December, the European Commission also said it would introduce new tools by September 2026 ’ to strengthen the protection of the EU industry from unfair trade policies and overcapacity.
Maroš Šefčovič euronews’e said: “If we see that we are not being treated fairly, we will fight hard for every job in ’, for every European company, for every open sector.”
China's decision to impose new quotas and double tariffs on global steel imports, dominated by ’'s overcapacity, was already adopted by EU countries and the European Parliament in April.
Now the chemical industry is under the spotlight. China’in chemical imports in five years is up. But the EU chemical sector also relies on exports abroad, including China, the industry's fourth export market, which complicates any measures aimed at China’i.
European chemical industry lobby group Cefic’in trade expert Philipp Sauer euronews’e said: “As an export-oriented industry, the European chemical industry %It carries out more than 30’ abroad. This creates a risk of retaliation from third countries.”
3. Applying anti-dumping or anti-subsidy taxes to imports
The Commission will also be able to impose taxes on Chinese companies if import prices fall below the price at which they sell their products on the domestic market. It can also investigate companies that receive unfair subsidies.
However, investigations can last up to 18 months, and the cases are accumulating in the ’, the Commission's General Directorate of Commerce, and there are only 140 officials in these authorities.
Sauer said one-third to half of the ongoing investigations were related to the chemical industry.
4. Using the Anti-Pressure Vehicle
The Anti-Printing Tool is a last resort tool called a commercial bazooka, which can be used in the event of economic pressure from a third country and allows AB’ to hit China’ with powerful measures such as restricting access to licenses or public tenders in AB’.
However, its use will require the support of a qualified majority of member states, which is not guaranteed.
Germany opposes EU’'s tariffs on 2024’te China’in electric vehicles. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has visited China ’ four times in three years, also supports closer ties with Beijing ’ and seeks to secure large Chinese investments.
5. Unification of Member States
At the same time, Brussels faces the risk that its separation strategy will face serious resistance from national governments. EU member states are divided over how to approach China’, which could lead Beijing’'s capitals to play against each other.
Such differences are already emerging in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, where AB’ proposes a new mechanism that requires the gradual decommissioning of so-called high-risk suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE in strategic sectors, starting with telecommunications.
The proposal, which is included in the renewal of the EU Cyber Security Act, sparks controversy among many European governments, especially Spain and Germany, who have long worked with Chinese equipment and are now deeply embedded in their digital infrastructure.
This de-risk strategy also raised financial concerns; because Chinese suppliers are much cheaper than European alternatives such as Ericsson and Nokia; This is partly due to the fact that Beijing has publicly provided financial support.
European telecom operators have sought financial compensation from AB’ for the replacement of their equipment in China“, taking the USA”'s ’sök and replace’ program as an example, but neither the EU nor national governments seem willing to put the money on the table.
In other words, the political and economic cost of AB’'s complete separation from China’ could be high.
It is not yet known whether European countries are willing to put up with this.
