China would like the European Union to be a partner and not a rival on international trade in a new realignment following Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour on tariffs against other countries.
The Chinese ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, mentioned this hope to Reuters, saying that “we should put our focus on partnership. China will never be a threat or any kind of enemy to the EU.” He also clarified that China favourably views the EU’s multilateral approach to international relations, especially in contrast with the US’s current isolationist approach.
In particular, Yao was shocked by recent remarks made by the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, ahead of a state visit to China, that getting close to Beijing would be like “cutting your own throat.” According to Yao, it is the US that “cuts everyone’s throat” with its unilateral tariffs.
Sánchez’s visit to China on 11 April has been considered part of an EU strategy to build new partnerships after Trump’s tariff shock. During the visit, the two countries signed a deal for the export of Spanish pork stomachs. Experts have interpreted the deal as a sign that China may be willing to ease an anti-dumping investigation in EU pork exports that may strongly hit Spanish producers. The inquiry started last year in what was considered as retaliation on EU tariffs against Chinese electric vehicle (EV) producers.
Yao said that the EU should move away from its 2019 strategy that described China as a “partner for cooperation, economic competitor and systemic rival” because both Beijing and Brussels believe in open trade and encouraged the EU to drop its export controls on semiconductors, tariffs on EVs and should allow Chinese telecommunication companies like Huawei and ZTE to access Europe’s 5G network.
The comments underlined that China is also opening up trade from outside, with a gradual process that should help ease the current $345 billion trade deficit the EU has with China. Yao mentioned easing and opening investments in telecommunications, banking and manufacturing. “We’ve made it very clear that China will open its door with time, and this door will never be closed.”
