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"They must take action on the trade surplus with the EU," Macron threatens China with tariffs 'in the coming months'
2025-12-07 15:16:57 / BOTA
French President Emmanuel Macron said he has threatened China with tariffs if Beijing does not take steps to reduce its massive trade surplus with the EU, in a statement published on Sunday, December 7.
“I told them that if they do not react, we Europeans will be forced to take strong measures in the coming months,” Macron told the business daily Les Echos after returning from a state visit to China. Such measures could be modeled on steps taken by the United States, he said, “such as tariffs on Chinese products.”
The EU's trade deficit with China - the world's second-largest economy after the United States - exceeded 300 billion euros in 2024, Les Echos said. The 27 members of the European Union cannot determine trade policies, including tariffs, individually, but are instead represented by the EU Commission.
Macron, whose country is the EU’s second-largest economy after Germany, acknowledged that it was a challenge to reach a consensus on the issue of China tariffs across the bloc. Germany, with its strong presence in China, he said, “is not yet fully aligned with our position.” “China wants to pierce the heart of the European industrial and innovative model, which has historically been based on machine tools and automobiles,” Macron said.
The administration of US President Donald Trump imposed 57% tariffs on Chinese products this year, although that was reduced to 47% as part of a deal between the two countries reached in October. US protectionism had exacerbated the problem for the EU, Macron said, as China was “massively” redirecting products originally destined for America to Europe. “We are stuck in the middle today,” Macron said. “This is a matter of life and death for European industry.”
During his visit to China, Macron said the EU needed to welcome more Chinese direct investment as part of efforts to reduce the trade deficit. “We can’t always import, Chinese companies have to come to Europe,” he told Les Echos, adding, however, that Chinese businesses cannot be allowed to act as “predators” with “hegemonic objectives.” He called for the EU to combine protection for its most vulnerable sectors, such as the car industry, with a boost to competitiveness.
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