China urges France and Germany not to resort to protectionism — ECNS
In China, officials have urged France and Germany not to promote the European Union's introduction of protectionist measures ahead of possible trade talks between China and the EU. As ECNS reports, a representative of China's Ministry of Commerce said that Paris and Berlin should adhere to the principles of openness, cooperation and free trade, as well as the rules of the World Trade Organization.
Macron and Merz's letter
The statement came after reports of a letter jointly sent by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In it, they called for strengthening the EU through a new trade diversification instrument and a new trade defence mechanism.
According to Reuters, cited by the publication, the European Commission positively assessed the letter and the informal paper containing proposals, calling them a contribution to the discussion on geoeconomic risks and global imbalances. China was not directly mentioned in the letter, but analysts considered it a likely target of the proposed measures, as the document appeared ahead of possible talks between China and the EU.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Business position and negotiations
The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU also opposed the proposal in its current form. The chamber believes that creating such a mechanism at a critical stage of negotiations could increase uncertainty, undermine mutual trust and complicate the achievement of practical results.
In June, China and the EU held the first round of trade negotiations and established four working areas: rebalancing trade and investment, export controls, intellectual property rights, and WTO reform. Bilateral trade between the parties exceeded $828 billion in 2025.
Michael Schumann, chairman of the board of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, said that German companies are concerned about political uncertainty in China-EU relations. According to him, businesses expect predictability, fair competition, better market access and a signal that the sides seek to resolve differences rather than escalate them.
