European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will use her State of the Union speech on Wednesday to reiterate her warning over the EU’s ballooning trade deficit with China, as Brussels steps up negotiations with Beijing ahead of a key October deadline. It has reached a tipping point,” she was due to tell lawmakers in Strasbourg, according to her prepared remarks obtained in advance by POLITICO. It shows in our communities and factories across our Union.
It leads to de-industrialisation in the industrial heartlands of Europe. This is unsustainable,” she said. China’s weaker domestic demand means it also needs our European market.
So, it is in both our interests to work together to find solutions.” The Commission president’s speech gave no detail, however, on the actual steps Brussels was prepared to take to protect European industry from what it sees as unfair competition. Brussels and Beijing are engaged in an intensifying sequence of talks, with the EU's trade chief speaking with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, and a team of senior trade officials expected in Beijing next week. Brussels is under pressure to deliver results in time for an October summit of EU leaders, including on trade defense instruments against subsidised Chinese exports.
But deeds are better,“ said the Commission president.
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