Europe Must Confront China to Preserve Free Trade
The article argues that while the European Union has signed numerous free-trade agreements to uphold the rules-based global trading system, these deals fail to address the primary threat: China's state-subsidized export dominance. The EU's accords focus on tariff reductions, labor standards, environmental commitments, and digital trade rules, contrasting with the Trump administration's bilateral, discriminatory US Reciprocal Trade Agreements (ARTs) that target Chinese trans-shipment and investment. However, Europe's deals lack mechanisms to counter China's massive subsidies (4.4% of GDP), intellectual property theft, and growing trade surplus with the EU, which hit a new record. The author suggests Europe should adopt US-style pushback measures to protect free trade from Chinese non-compliance with global commercial rules.
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