France and Germany Get Tough on China

By Penny Naas*

France and Germany want the EU to be able to hit back at China on trade faster than it can today.

That’s the core of the joint letter they sent the Commission on Monday. This is a real shift. Two years ago, Germany was the brake on tougher measures against China, and European leaders were flying to Beijing to establish joint ventures with European industrial crown jewels.

Now they are signing a proposal that would let the Commission act unless a qualified majority of member states block it. Beijing overplayed its hand on exports, rare earths and Nexperia. The signal Europe is sending is right.

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