Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Tuesday urged European leaders to come together and develop a strategy to counter China’s economic domination plans — noting “we are so afraid that we don’t even dare” to name Beijing’s unfair trading practices for what they are.
The subject of E.U.-China trade is reportedly expected to be a key agenda item in the European Union’s upcoming June 18-19 Summit in Brussels. Prime Minister De Wever has been at the forefront of warnings to Brussels pertaining to the negative effects of China in Europe’s economy.
Euractiv reports De Wever, speaking at an event organized by two pro-E.U. think tanks in Brussels, stressed that European leaders are “increasingly wary” of China, and must thus develop an economic strategy to counter Beijing.
“[Europe] must respond. The only question is how,” De Wever said.
The Belgian Prime Minister availed himself of the opportunity to express disappointment that French President Emmanuel Macron is set to lead efforts this week involving G7 members and China to address global trade imbalances — with the expectation that Beijing’s unfair trading practices will be addressed.
“That’s all very well, but we do take a lot of initiatives [and] it is time to adopt a strategy,” De Wever reportedly said at the event. “China does not take a lot of initiatives. These people have a strategy. And a strategy is going to eat our initiatives for breakfast.”
“They have called it geo-economic imbalances, just not to name China by name, because we are so afraid that we don’t even dare to do that,” he stressed.
As the European Commission’s Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis pointed out to Breitbart News in April, China is the European Union’s second largest partner after the United States. According to the European Union, the bloc’s goods trade deficit with China grew to nearly 360 billion euros in 2025, up from 312 billion euros in 2024.
In March, Prime Minister De Wever issued a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging the E.U. to take a firmer stance against unfair Chinese competition — accusing China of putting European companies at a disadvantage on its own market. De Wever not just called upon the European Union to reassess its approach with China, it urged the group to reduce its dependance on the Asian nation by deepening ties with the United States, Japan, and India, countries that face the same threats coming from China.
President Donald Trump’s tough stance on China appears to have enticed Europe to toughen up its stance on the Asian nation. Politico reported last week that E.U. Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič wants to “take a page” from Washington’s playbook in trade talks with China after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Chenggang in Paris.
The meeting occurred just days after the European Commission acknowledged that the E.U’s trade and investment relationship with China is “not sustainable,” vowing to take tougher action at Beijing.
According to the European Union, the bloc’s goods trade deficit with China grew to nearly 360 billion euros in 2025, up from 312 billion euros in 2024.. (Photo by Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Chinese Communist regime, for its part, has warned the E.U. that reducing dependance with China is not a “zero-sum game” and that, according to China, this would not make European industry “more competitive.”
“European companies make their choice based on cost, technology and efficiency. How is that ‘over-dependence’? Isn’t ‘diversification’ in this case just another version of protectionism?” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said this week.
Much like the Belgian Prime Minister, other European politicians have warned that the bloc needs to adopt a tougher stance against Beijing, as China’s overproduction practices are straining Europe’s already troubled economy. Last week, the leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber spoke with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag and warned that Europe “needs to open a new chapter regarding its relationship with China.” The lawmaker urged the E.U. to defend its own economic interests and stressed that The European Union’s trade deficit with China is jeopardizing Europe’s industrial base.
“Either we fight back, or China will cripple parts of our industry. The EU must now use its trade policy instruments decisively and without hesitation,” Weber said.
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