France and Germany Push EU to Strengthen Trade Defenses Against China

France and Germany are urging the European Commission to make fuller use of the European Union's existing trade defense tools, and to strengthen them further, amid an intensifying trade standoff with China, according to a report from Le Monde.

The EU already has a range of instruments at its disposal designed to protect European industries from what officials describe as unfair competition from Chinese manufacturers, including anti-dumping duties, anti-subsidy measures and other trade-defense mechanisms built up over recent years.

According to the report, Paris and Berlin believe these tools are not being deployed as forcefully or as often as the current economic standoff with China warrants, and the two governments are calling on Brussels to both use them more actively and expand their scope.

The push comes as European industries in sectors such as steel, electric vehicles and solar technology have voiced concern over competition from heavily subsidized Chinese exporters, prompting EU officials in recent years to weigh a series of defensive trade measures.

The report did not specify which additional tools France and Germany want added to the EU's arsenal, nor did it detail a timeline for the European Commission's response.

The debate reflects broader tensions within the EU over how aggressively to confront China economically, as member states weigh continued trade with Beijing against growing concerns about industrial competitiveness and strategic dependency.