Trump's recipe that the EU discusses to combat the trade deficit with China

BrusselsThe relationship that the European Union should maintain with China has divided member states in recent years, but now all agree in qualifying the trade deficit between the European bloc and the Asian giant "unsustainable", according to various diplomatic sources. For this reason, more and more European governments are advocating for an escalation of tone against Beijing, and want to request at the leaders' summit this Thursday and Friday in Brussels that the European Commission put forward measures to limit Chinese imports.

One of the options being promoted by France, which is one of the most protectionist member states, is to approve a new instrument inspired by the trade policy of the Donald Trump administration against the Asian giant. That is, the creation of a legal tool that allows Brussels to quickly impose tariffs on Chinese products or set an import cap in certain sectors if it identifies "unfair trade practices" with the aim of protecting European industry.

The French government has always pushed for the EU to adopt a more belligerent stance with China, but in recent days, partners who were normally more ambiguous, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, or Poland, are joining them. Even Germany, which has been the great defender within the European club of maintaining good relations with the Asian giant, has opened up to studying the implementation of a new EU-level strategy to curb the growing trade deficit, according to diplomatic sources told ARA.

as requested by Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summitSupport for Ukraine

Beyond the debate on China, which is expected to conclude on Thursday night, European leaders hope to refocus on Ukraine this Friday –as Volodymyr Zelensky requested at the G-7 summit– to renew negotiation efforts. The summit, which will be attended by the Ukrainian president, aims to reaffirm commitment to Kyiv through military aid and sanctions against Moscow: Brussels has yet to disburse the full €90 billion loan in the form of weaponry and humanitarian aid, and plans to advance the 21st sanctions package against Russia, which is intended to curb the infamous Russian ghost fleet with which the Kremlin finances the war.

Following recent incidents involving Russian drones in EU territory (like the case of Romania), member states intend to further toughen their stance against Moscow. But above all, they also want to coordinate their arguments in future peace talks, in which they aspire to play a more significant role, or aim to define their red lines and address security guarantees in Ukraine.

The EU's clearest commitment to Kyiv is the new momentum in its accession process. Therefore, at this summit, which is the first after the fall of Viktor Orbán in Hungary, the European bloc wants to showcase recent progress in European integration and also highlight the cases of Moldova and the Western Balkans, which have been waiting in the EU's anteroom for years.

Another issue that will loom is the situation in the Middle East following the pact between Washington and Tehran – the content of which is still unknown – and the possible mission of European countries to demine the Strait of Hormuz. France and England have already announced their intention to lead a coalition of volunteer European countries to contribute to the opening of the strait once the appropriate conditions are met. Thus, the debate will focus on the extent to which the EU should assume responsibility for securing passage through this maritime route.

The European bloc is studying reinforcing an existing mission, codenamed Aspides, which aims to protect vessels in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks. In this way, the EU wants to mitigate the negative economic effects caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, it is expected that the European club – which has not been consulted in negotiations with Iran – will try to assert its position on the terms of the agreement and, for example, insist on the need for Iran not to acquire nuclear weapons.

European leaders will also discuss Gaza and the imposition of sanctions on Israel. According to the draft conclusions obtained by ARA, member states plan to "welcome" sanctions against settlers in the West Bank, but will avoid applying further diplomatic pressure on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and, for example, agreeing to sanctions against the Israeli Minister of National Security, the ultraconservative Itamar Ben-Gvir, who humiliated the members of the Flotilla.the ultraconservative Itamar Ben-Gvir, who humiliated the members of the Flotilla. While several member states have individually banned entry to this Israeli leader, there is currently no consensus across the EU as a whole to extend this ban to the entire community territory.