European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that she would push for "fair" competition with China during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently in Paris. Von der Leyen stated ahead of a trilateral meeting in Paris with Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron, "We need to act to ensure that competition is fair and undistorted."
She added, "China is currently producing, with massive support, more than it sells due to its low domestic demand. This leads to an oversupply of supported Chinese products, such as electric vehicles and steel, resulting in unfair trade." She emphasized that "Europe cannot accept practices that distort the market and could lead to a decline in manufacturing in Europe."
Von der Leyen mentioned that she had previously clarified in discussions with Xi that "the current imbalances in market access are not permanent and need to be addressed." There are many trade disputes between Brussels and Beijing. The European Union has intensified investigations in recent months into China’s state support for various industrial sectors, particularly electric vehicles.
