As Trump brings the EU and China closer, reality keeps pulling them apart

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/04/12/as-trump-brings-the-eu-and-china-closer-reality-keeps-pulling-them-apart

by Dystopics_IT

30 comments

  1. China is and always has been a threat to European markets. They can flood the continent with their products made with cheap labour. We knew it and we tariffed their EV. And I’m not even talking about China being a dictatorship, because I know we trade with Arab regimes, but it’s still a bad look.

    The recent push for further cooperation seems to come more from a sense of betrayal than from any rational thinking.

  2. This is such a dumb fantasy coping mechanism. They both trade with the US at a deficit so how would trading with each other make that up?

    China isn’t a buyer and it also blows away Europe’s facade of caring about democracy.

  4. People on the topic ask me. “Why don’t you like china?”

    Not the people but the CCP that can’t own up to its own bullshit, can’t come to terms with its own history, lies consistently about observable facts, steals technology with impunity, organ harvesting, forced detention camps and the constant need to drive others to correct statements that don’t completely fall in line with their parties ideology.

    Yeah the west is not great but at least we can scrutinies our leaders and depending on how jaded you are, the freedom to express our concerns and opinions.

  5. I don’t mind cheap Chinese trash in stores but we should put on a hard limit on how much they can import annually.

  6. By all metrics China and the EU are both 2 of the top 3 economic and geopolitical entities on the planet, with a bunch of first places between the 2, and with how the situation in the US is evolving they might end up as the leading superpowers through a lot of the 21st century.

    So, while im not saying that these types of articles listing the roadblocks that arise when faced with possible EU-China trade re-approachment and diplomatic thawing are wrong or shouldnt be made, it feels somewhat one sided and notable that its basicaly the only kind of analysis going around in mainstream publications regarding the situation. Shouldn’t equal if not more emphasis be given in covering the ways things CAN work out between the 2 and the gains, accomodations and mutual benifits that can be achieved? Media and EU politicians, in this historical juncture, talking about China as being a de facto antagonistic entity and threat to Europe and only highlighting the aspects of the relationship where friction is prominent and then building their analysis from there is a self fullfilling prophesy and also a framing that ironicaly also furthers US goals for Europe.

    It seems obvious to me that China is here to stay and will play a leading, if not the leading, role this century and will be the most important partner, trade and otherwise, for a lot if not most countries outside the EU. As long as its not economicaly, diplomaticaly and military belligerent towards the EU and to individual EU countries on the scale we are seeing from the US right now, the EU has to shoot for and earnestly attempt peaceful coexistence and mutualy beneficial relations based on accommodations from both sides yes. If the EU sets the narratives of “democracy vs authoritarianism” and “chinese containment” as a centerpiece for its relationship and approach towards China, it too might end up the loser. The US didnt have the cards but the EU might neither, in a game is set with these rules

  7. What is China going to import from the EU that the EU wants to export?

    There is already an existing trade deficit with China, is a larger deficit desired?

    *In 2024, the EU exported goods worth €213.3 billion to China and imported €517.8 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of €304.5 billion.*

    https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250304-1#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20the%20EU%20exported,while%20exports%20grew%20by%2047.0%25.&text=In%202024%2C%20the%20most%20imported,of%20all%20imports%20from%20China.

  8. Europe wants to abandon the U.S. in favor of China? Good luck with that… China is not your friend…

  9. China builds factories to mass supply the world quickly
    Britain builds factories to supply the world over 25 years

  10. China is part of the problem and now US joined the show.

    EU must lead the free world. That’s for what was created. To keep nationalisms in check and to make sure that a bigger country couldn’t bully other smaller countries.

  11. Europe needs to get creative about it’s economic future. Otherwise it will become the world’s disneyland for older tourists and not much more. There is not much reason why EU has to compete directly with China over manufactured goods – that would make very, very little sense. The EU still has a vast and comparatively wealthy market that it should use to extract economic benefit from trading partners. More importantly, what is Europe’s long run comparative advantage? Is it manufacture? Probably not. Is it innovation? Perhaps – but where is the investment in R&D and education? Is it foreign direct investment? Share of FDI by European companies has been declining for decades. Europeans must figure out what they want to be / need to be good at 25 years from now.

  12. Duh, they’re still a dictatorship and they’re still a threat to EU’s domestic market.

  13. Let’s have China convince Russia to pull back from Ukraine and then let’s see …

  14. Well, I’m pretty unimpressed with the Chinese owners of British Steel not only failing to buy the materials needed to keep the blast furnaces operational, but actively selling the stores it does have. Apparently said blast furnaces will cease to be operational if they are not kept going. The British government knowing this even offered to pay for all materials to keep it going. It’s hard not to see it as sabotage, at a nation state level. China ceaselessly go out of their way to prove themselves to be a bad actor, it’s so pointless, but reality again shows we must treat them as they treat us, as an enemy. Although of course this affects Britain, I’m sure European allies have watched this debacle.

  15. China is supporting Rusia, they have chinese soldiers fighting in Ukraine..

  17. Reality, or the $1.6B to US spends on anti-China propaganda around the world?

  18. There is a reason China and the EU aren’t close. Those reasons didn’t disappear because America broke all semblances of being an ally.

  19. This is why EU is going to have to accept US leverage eventually.

  22. Dude, just because the US is kinda an asshole rn doesnt mean China is trustworthy

  23. We don’t need China to be EU best friend. 
    We just need to stop seeing then as our 2nd biggest enemy just because it’s USA main enemy.

  24. i think the best thing would be for europe to maintain neutrality and just focus on its own interests. dont overly depend on either.

  25. From SEA here, we all wish not to be near China for a reason…

  26. Well, it’s also a matter of political and economical leverage. The EU needs to maintain a partnership with China (or even strengthen it) to signal the US that they do not rely on them. Otherwise the US can do whatever they want and push the EU around. China is well aware of this, so they will try to profit from this situation. The big question is how well the EU plays this “game” … On the long term the EU must establish itself in the middle as the third economic power which can play both directions.

  28. Really good article (a rarity in this sub), i was wondering when someone was going to point out that to deal with China that closely you would have to change quite a lot, deal with their strong economic and political support for Russia, violation of human rights (not that it would be a first time for the EU if they closed an eye lol), the Taiwan Strait problem and China’s expansionism in the South China Sea, of course all of this can be solved with diplomacy and enforing our own laws, but it would take some massive effort to make this alliance work in a mutually beneficial way, specially without fucking over Ukraine

  30. From the way european diplomats/thinktanks bark like wild dogs against China, it’s very clear that America is still the one who wears the pants in this Atlantic relationship

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