The leaders of the 27 EU countries gathered together to discuss the trade counterattack against China, Germany, France and Poland, the three "accelerated vanguards" first jumped out, but this seems to be united, the reality is flooding.
(Germany and France hold high the nuclear option and promote Europe's tough trade stance towards China)
The “nuclear option” is on the table.
The Germans played the most bold this time, but proposed to use the anti-coercion tool law known as trade "nuclear weapons".It is not a joke, to know that since the law came into force last year, no one has ever really dared to use it, Germany is to push the trade war to a new height!
The French are also reluctant to show weakness, Finance Minister Lombard directly spoke to discuss "all the options for retaliation against China". This scenario, not knowing what deep hatred between China and France. but just a few months ago, when Macron visited China, he also smiled and signed a $20 billion aircraft deal, which turned faster than the book!
The most ridiculous thing is that Poland, a country with a limited weight in China-EU trade, actually jumped out to express its presence and suggested adding strong language against China in the summit documents. Anyone with discerning eyes can see that this is purely a desire to show loyalty to the United States and to gain a sense of presence within the EU.
(China's huge trade market, in the end, is the "fat meat" that Europe can hardly cut off.)
However, carefully analyzing their motives is just like watching a carefully arranged political drama. The Germans are hard on their mouths and hold the fat meat of the Chinese market tightly in their hands; the French count the banknotes earned from China while shouting for sanctions; Poland is more typical of "unprofitable early", purely trying to take advantage of the machine.
The “cooperation” of the European Union is a scattered sand.
When it comes to the EU's tough stance towards China this time, the most ironic thing is their game in the fields of rare earths and chips.
In the field of rare earth, the German chemical giant BASF, the production line of this enterprise is like being abducted by rare earth, away from China rare earth can not play.
Ironically, while the German government is discussing whether to use the “nuclear trade option”, BASF executives are urgently meeting with government officials and begging them to “guarantee the supply of rare earth.”
(It is difficult for the EU to form a unified and tough policy towards China)
In the field of chips, Europeans dream of achieving independence in the chip industry, so they have invested heavily in launching the "European Chip Act". But the reality is, from chip design software to manufacturing equipment, to final packaging testing, which European company can completely bypass China?
In the final analysis, the positions of EU countries on trade with China are like scattered sand. Germany is worried about economic backlash, France wants to divert domestic contradictions, and Poland is purely for speculation. I'm afraid even they don't believe that such a "tough alliance" can succeed.
3. "Sing devil's advocate on stage, shake hands and laugh off the stage"
In the final analysis, the EU jumped into the muddy waters of the Sino-US trade game this time and was destined to be a loss-making business from the beginning.
From the perspective of practical interests, if the EU really takes tough measures against China, I'm afraid they will be the first to get hurt. Germany's automobile industry, France's aviation manufacturing industry, and Dutch semiconductor equipment are the lifeblood of the European economy. Take Germany as an example. If Sino-German trade really declines sharply, it can't be coped with a simple "industrial transformation".
(The EU and its adoption of tough measures rather than choosing pragmatic communication)
Even more fun is the fact that while EU leaders are busy in Brussels to discuss the harsh policy against China, the CEOs of major European companies frequently meet with Chinese partners in private.
In the end, trade games are never a zero-sum game. If the EU really wants to solve the industrial difficulties, rather than make a surface article on the hard on China, it is better to think about how to deepen cooperation with China in the fields of rare earth, chips and so on. After all, China has the world's largest rare earth reserves and complete industrial chain, while Europe still has unique advantages in the field of high-end manufacturing and R&D. If the two sides can make an idea, practical cooperation, can fully mutual benefit and win-win.