EU trade official signals unilateral curbs on Chinese exports
A senior EU trade official has signalled the bloc will bypass ongoing diplomatic talks and impose unilateral restrictions on Chinese imports, exposing a strategic rift within the European Commission.
The European Union is preparing to impose unilateral restrictions on Chinese exports, according to the bloc’s deputy director-general for trade, Denis Redonnet. Speaking to the European Parliament’s international trade committee on Tuesday, Redonnet warned that diplomatic engagement would not be enough to address the imbalance.
“Dialogue alone will not suffice,” Redonnet told lawmakers. He stated it was “more than likely” that “unilateral protection measures” would be adopted at the EU level, running in parallel with existing negotiations.
This combative stance marks a sharp departure from the tone set by his superior, Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. At the end of June, Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao agreed to establish four working groups focused on trade balancing, export controls, intellectual property, and WTO reform. Those talks are meant to lay the groundwork for Sefcovic’s planned visit to Beijing in October.
Investors should note that Redonnet explicitly stated these steps would not wait for the diplomatic workstreams to conclude. Instead, he said the EU would be taking various measures in parallel.
For European businesses, Redonnet’s comments suggest the Commission’s patience with dialogue is fading faster than its public negotiating posture indicates. Companies reliant on Chinese supply chains or competing against state-backed manufacturers should anticipate new trade barriers regardless of the upcoming high-level meetings.
Redonnet framed the coming measures as a necessary response to Beijing's economic structure. He dismissed the idea that the EU’s ever-growing trade deficit is a temporary, cyclical fluctuation, attributing it instead to “structural factors.”
By labelling the deficit as a direct consequence of Beijing's domestic priorities, Redonnet is effectively warning that no amount of diplomatic wrangling will resolve the competitive pressure European industries face. He characterized China’s approach as “a form of industrial dominance” driven by a model that “prioritises production over consumption.”
