Macron floats possible tariffs if China doesn’t change course
In an interview with the French business newspaper Les Echos after his three-day visit to the country, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed the possibility of taking countermeasures against China as long as it does not change its trade policy.
“I’m trying to tell the Chinese that their trade surplus is not sustainable because they are in the process of destroying their own customers, especially by not importing more from us anymore,” Macron said.
“I told them that if they did not respond, we Europeans would have to follow the US example in the coming months to take strong measures and reduce cooperation, for example through tariffs on Chinese products.”
Although China is France’s most important trading partner in Asia, the French economy runs a clear trade deficit with China, with imports far greater than exports. In 2024, the deficit totals more than 46 billion euros ($53.5 billion).
The trade deficit of the EU as a whole exceeds €300 billion. Weak Chinese demand poses a problem for German, French and other EU companies, while the People’s Republic is also selling more and more products to the EU as a result of its trade dispute with the United States.
Macron said China is at the heart of Europe’s industrial and innovation model. US protectionism was making the situation worse because the flow of Chinese goods was largely directed to the European market.
He said that Europe was left in the middle and the existence of the industry was in danger. “We have become a market for compliance, and that is the worst-case scenario.”
Macron called on China to consume more and open its domestic market. He said Chinese companies should also come to Europe and establish sales markets on the continent, as energy group EDF and aircraft manufacturer Airbus did in reverse 25 years ago.
“We are aware that they are very good in certain areas, but we cannot import them permanently,” the French president said. According to Les Echos, he was talking about the battery sector, electric cars and lithium processing.
“China’s investments in Europe should not be predatory,” he told the newspaper, adding that Beijing should not aim to create dependency.
He also said Europe needed to increase competitiveness, simplify, invest in innovation and deepen the single market. Macron called on both sides to end aggressive policies such as export restrictions.
