French President Issues Ultimatum Following Official Visit
French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a stark warning to China, stating the European Union will be forced to impose significant tariffs on Chinese products “within the coming months” if Beijing does not take action to reduce the bloc’s growing trade deficit. The remarks were made in an interview with Les Echos following his official visit to China.
“I told them that if they did not react, we Europeans would be forced, in the very next few months, to take strong measures… following the example of the United States, such as tariffs on Chinese products,” Macron declared.
A “Life or Death” Struggle for European Industry
Macron framed the trade tension as an existential threat, arguing that China is striking at the heart of Europe’s historic industrial and innovation model, which is based on machine tools and automobiles. He warned that the protectionism of the Trump administration is exacerbating the problem by redirecting massive Chinese trade flows onto European markets.
“Today, we are caught between the two and it is a question of life or death for European industry,” he lamented. However, Macron acknowledged the difficulty of forming a united European front, noting that Germany, with its substantial presence in China, is “not yet fully aligned” with the French position.
Call for “Non-Predatory” Chinese Investment in Europe
During his visit, Macron reiterated that Europe must accept Chinese investment to help rebalance trade. “We cannot constantly import. Chinese companies must come to European soil,” he argued, pointing to key sectors including batteries, lithium refining, wind and solar power, electric vehicles, and industrial robotics.
He stressed, however, that such investments “must not be predatory, that is to say, made for the purposes of hegemony and creating dependencies.”
A Dual Strategy: Protection and Competitiveness
Macron outlined a dual strategy for the EU. He called for protecting the most vulnerable sectors, such as the automotive industry facing the “steamroller” of Chinese electric vehicles, while simultaneously reigniting a competitiveness policy.
This, he elaborated, requires “simplification, deepening of the single market, investment in innovation, fair protection of our borders, completion of our customs union… and an adjusted monetary policy.” The coming months will test whether this warning accelerates negotiations or leads to a new phase of transatlantic-style trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing.
