Emmanuel Macron has warned Beijing that Europe would be forced to retaliate with “strong measures” against Chinese goods – including punitive tariffs modelled after US policy – if a trade imbalance between the two sides remains unaddressed well into 2026.
Back in Paris, fresh from a diplomatic visit to China that ended on Friday, the French president told business newspaper Les Echos that China was “effectively killing their own customers” by running unsustainable surpluses while curbing imports.
“I told them that if they do not react, we Europeans will be forced, in the next several months, to take strong measures and to de-cooperate, following the example of the United States – for instance, by imposing tariffs on Chinese products,” Macron said in the story, published on Sunday.
The ultimatum followed other publicised concerns made during his trip, but it was stronger in tone.
And its issuance was a calculated move, according to some analysts – apply public pressure after private diplomatic warnings.
“The message is: we warned you, now the article is public, and we are preparing to act collectively if China does not respond to the call for ‘give-and-take’,” said Sacha Courtial, a China researcher at the Paris-based Institut Jacques Delors think tank.