EU-China Trade Tensions - Interview with Finbarr Bermingham

The European Union’s trade deficit with China has doubled over the past decade, fueling growing frustration in Brussels over what officials describe as a flood of low-cost Chinese products into the EU. 


Beijing’s continued support for Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is also a major sticking point. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas called China the “key enabler” of Putin’s war and urged Beijing to halt its support to Russia’s military-industrial base. In response, China has indicated that it does not want to see Russia lose the war.

It was not surprising then that a summit in Beijing between top EU and Chinese leaders at the end of July produced few tangible results.

 

Just ahead of the summit, I spoke with Finbarr Bermingham (X:@fbermingham), Europe Correspondent for the South China Morning Post, to explore what’s really driving the tensions in EU–China trade. We discussed the growing trade imbalance and how China’s rare earth export controls and unwavering support for Russia are reshaping the relationship.


Date of Recording: July 18th, 2025.




Picture shows Chinese President Xi Jinping on the left with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the right. Both leaders pictures are in black and white set against the background of their regions flags which are in colour. Listen to Perspectives at www.pwneilo.com
Chinese leader, Xi Jinping (L) and
EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen (R)


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