EU Leaders Confront Chinese Communist Leader Over Trade at Paris Summit

‘We stand ready to make full use of our trade defense instruments if this is necessary,’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech to the press at the French representation of the European Commission in Paris on May 6, 2024. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

The European Union pressed China over its unfair trade practices as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping began his official visit aimed at bolstering relationships with European leaders.

China’s subsidized products—such as electric vehicles (EVs) and steel—“are flooding the European market,” but Beijing “continues to massively support its manufacturing sector” at a time of weak domestic demand, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters following a trilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Xi on May 6. “The world cannot absorb China’s surplus production.”