In a thinly veiled rebuke on the second day of the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Chinese Premier Li Qiang pointed to “numerous examples where the whims of one party undermine mutual trust with others”.
Although he did not mention any particular country by name, the Chinese Premier’s comments come at a time when Beijing’s bilateral trade relations with the European Union and the United States have been deteriorating for several months, against a backdrop of economic dependence and perceived unfair competition.
The EU, for its part, launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles in September, to which Beijing responded by initiating anti-dumping proceedings against European spirits (see EUROPE 13325/19).
Through its new economic security strategy, the EU is seeking to reduce its dependence on China’s stranglehold on many critical sectors of industry and materials.
At the EU/China summit last December (see EUROPE 13309/21), the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that “European countries cannot tolerate our industry being undermined by unfair competition”. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)