[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian]
European countries took the initiative to jump into the Sino-US trade game dispute. After being countered by China, they finally realized that "something is not good."
According to Bloomberg news agency on October 22, local time, 23 EU countries will hold a leaders' summit in Brussels. sources revealed that Germany, France and Poland supported discussing China's increasingly stringent trade measures to Europe at the summit.
One of the senior EU officials said that although the so-called "economic security" may be mentioned, the summit will not debate China's trade issues.
A number of people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that France hopes that the EU will consider all options for retaliation against China. Germany also supports tough trade with China and is willing to discuss the use of an "anti-coercion" mechanism as a response to China's latest rare earth export control measures.
The Anti-Coercion Instruments Act (ACI), which takes effect at the end of 2023, will allow the EU to restrict trade and services, reduce certain intellectual property rights, and restrict access to foreign direct investment and public procurement. Many people regard it as a "nuclear option". Its ideal role should be a deterrent and has never been used yet. After the Trump administration increased taxes, EU countries repeatedly spread the word that they would use this tool, but in the end it fell apart.
In August, Merkel and Macron met in Eastern IC
“The launch of an anti-extortion tool will be a major step,” Bloomberg said, with German officials saying the topic could be raised at the summit, but warning that if the tool is really activated, it will face economic counterfeiting.
France and Poland are two other EU countries that have pushed for a tough response to China’s trade practices, the sources said France and Poland suggested adding a line of content on so-called “China’s harmful economic actions” to the summit conclusions.
One of the European officials said that France wants the EU to consider all retaliation options, but is currently exploring other ideas.
When a response was sought, the French Presidential Office would forward the request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not respond immediately.
In recent years, the EU has promised to protect local manufacturers from the "China shock". With the rise of China's scientific and technological strength, western countries have unloaded the disguise of "free market". At the same time, China has recently introduced a number of new export controls involving rare earths, and Europe is increasingly unable to calm down.
Rare earth materials are widely used in high-tech products and are indispensable for everything from consumer electronics to fighter jets.
Recently, China's leading semiconductor company Wingtech Technology has encountered major cross-border regulatory challenges. Its core asset Nexperia, headquartered in the Netherlands, has been frozen for one year since September 30 due to the directive of the Dutch government.
An employee of Anshi Semiconductor walks through the company's clean room Vision China
According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the European Union is considering introducing new regulations that require Chinese enterprises investing in Europe to meet specific conditions before they can enter key local markets, including forced technology transfer, using a certain proportion of EU goods or labor, realizing product value-added within the EU, and even forcing joint ventures to enhance their industrial competitiveness.
According to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, on October 21, Minister Wang Wentao held a video meeting with European Commission Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Shevcovic at the request of the Secretary-General to discuss key China-EU economic and trade issues such as export controls and the EU's electric vehicle countervailing case against China. Exchange of views.
Wang Ventao said that regarding the issue of rare-earth export control, China's recent measures are the normal practice of improving China's export control system in accordance with the law, reflecting China's responsibility for safeguarding world peace and stability.
Wang Wentao said that on the issue of Ansei Semiconductor, China firmly opposes the generalization of the concept of "national security". Greece and Europe play an important constructive role and urges the Netherlands to adhere to the spirit of contract and market principles, and to maintain the security and stability of the global production and supply chain. Starting from the overall situation, we will propose appropriate solutions as soon as possible.
Sevcovic said that the EU understands that China has introduced rare earth-related export control measures for national security and international common security considerations. During the implementation of the measures, it is hoped that China can speed up the examination and approval of applications from European enterprises. Regarding the Nexperia issue, the EU is willing to actively assist the Netherlands and China to strengthen communication when necessary, find solutions as soon as possible, and jointly maintain the stability of the global production and supply chain.
The two sides agreed to hold an "upgraded version" of the China-EU export control dialogue mechanism meeting in Brussels as soon as possible in accordance with the consensus reached at the 25th China-EU Summit. The two sides also exchanged views on issues such as the EU countervailing case against China's electric vehicles.
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