Europeans don’t need to be afraid of China
marianna.liana…
Thu, 10/29/2026 – 16:13
5 minutes
Germany has changed course. For years, it was cautious about China; now it wants to take a tougher line. Thousands of industrial jobs disappear every month in Germany, and the picture elsewhere in Europe is much the same. The trade deficit is approaching €1 billion a day. Sector after sector is under pressure. China is also tightening its restrictions on supplies of critical raw materials.
First gradually, then suddenly, Europe’s debate on China is shifting. In Berlin and elsewhere, the message is now: this cannot continue. We must stand firm, even if that provokes Chinese retaliation and escalation.
And although delay may indeed no longer be an option, the timing could hardly be worse. Europe already has its hands full with an escalating Russia, a Donald Trump moving increasingly in a pro-Russian direction, and a war in the Middle East that we did not want but whose consequences we are feeling.
Europe is also under political pressure: mass demonstrations in Paris and …read more
