Europe and Britain Push Back Against Chinese Imports as Trade Tensions Rise

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Brussels Heads to Beijing With a Clear Demand

European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic travels to China on Wednesday for talks that could shape Europe's economic course for years. He will meet Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Thursday and Friday.

The talks follow about three months of preliminary discussions. Their core issue is Europe's goods trade deficit with China, which has grown to more than €1 billion (about $1.12 billion) per day. In plain terms, the EU buys far more from China than China buys from the EU. Reuters reports that this imbalance threatens European industries and many thousands of jobs.

A second issue is on the table as well: Chinese limits on exports of rare earths and other critical minerals. These materials are essential for electronics, wind turbines and electric vehicles, and China controls a large share of the global supply.

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A Deadline Is Looming

Sefcovic has said he wants "tangible results" by October. He needs some form of commitment from Beijing that he can present to EU leaders when they meet in Brussels on October 15–16. China policy is the top item on that summit's agenda.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the pressure last month. She told the European Parliament that the imbalance had reached a tipping point and that the EU would use every available tool to rebalance the relationship.

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What the EU Wants From China

Brussels wants China to open its market further to European companies. Officials say that step alone would not be enough. The Commission is also pushing Beijing to cap some of its exports, though it is unclear which products China might be willing to limit.

The concern is broad. The EU's chief trade enforcement officer warned last week that nearly a quarter of all imports from China are rising at a worrying pace. Machinery, textiles, base metals and chemicals show especially abnormal growth.

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Cars Are the Flashpoint

The sharpest worry is the automotive sector. Over the 12 months to September, EU imports of plug-in hybrid vehicles rose 86%, while their prices fell by about 20%. Imports of fully electric cars grew 40%. More than half of these vehicles come from China, even though the EU already charges tariffs on Chinese-built electric cars.

For European carmakers, who employ millions of workers across the continent, falling prices and rising import volumes are a direct threat.

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Beijing's Response: "Protectionism"

China rejects the criticism. Chinese officials argue that talk of economic imbalances and overcapacity (producing far more than the home market needs, then selling the surplus abroad) is itself a form of protectionism, meant to pressure and contain China.

Yet the concern is no longer limited to Europe. In September, G20 finance leaders, with the exception of China, agreed to act against "non-market" distortions that worsen trade imbalances. Reuters reported that the United States pushed the group to focus on this issue. Non-market distortions typically refer to practices such as heavy state subsidies that let a country's producers undercut foreign competitors.

Critics of Beijing's economic model say this is the core problem. In a system where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) steers the economy, state support can flood world markets with cheap goods. Foreign firms operating under market rules struggle to compete on those terms.

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Britain Targets Chinese Titanium Dioxide

Britain is taking a similar path on a smaller scale. Its Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), the government's trade watchdog, has recommended new anti-dumping duties on rutile titanium dioxide from China. Dumping means selling goods abroad at unfairly low prices.

Rutile titanium dioxide is a white pigment used in paints and paper. After an investigation, the TRA concluded that Chinese producers were dumping the product in Britain and that this posed an imminent threat to UK producers. The agency's leadership described the danger as real and immediate.

The industry is not large, but the TRA says it employs more than 570 people and supplies hundreds of British businesses further down the supply chain.

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Next Steps and a Delicate Balance

The recommendation is only preliminary. The TRA will now collect feedback before sending a final recommendation to Britain's business minister, who will decide whether to impose the duties.

The case fits a wider pattern. Earlier this year, Britain replaced its steel safeguards with a tougher system, citing concern about cheap steel from countries such as China.

London is walking a fine line. It has reached a deal with the United States to avoid some of President Donald Trump's tariffs, and it wants to deepen cooperation with the EU. At the same time, it wants to keep China open as an export market. Britain is keeping its tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles under review. It does not want to provoke Chinese retaliation against British exporters, but it also wants to narrow policy differences with Brussels, partly to gain access to the EU's planned "Made in Europe" scheme.

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Outlook

The coming days will show whether Beijing is willing to make real concessions or whether Brussels will have to follow through on von der Leyen's warning. Either way, the direction is clear. Governments on both sides of the Channel are treating China's trade surplus as a risk to jobs, industry and economic security, and they are increasingly ready to act on it.

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Sources

1. Reuters – "EU seeks to cut trade deficit with China in talks with Beijing" (Oct 7, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-seeks-cut-trade-deficit-with-china-talks-with-beijing-2026-10-07/
2. Reuters – "UK proposes duty on imports of Chinese rutile titanium dioxide" (Oct 7, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/uk-proposes-duty-imports-chinese-rutile-titanium-dioxide-2026-10-07/
3. Reuters – "EU will use all tools to cut China trade deficit, von der Leyen says" (Sept 16, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-will-use-all-tools-cut-china-trade-deficit-von-der-leyen-says-2026-09-16/
4. Reuters – "US pushes G20 to cut trade imbalances, focus on China" (Sept 1, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-pushes-g20-cut-trade-imbalances-focus-china-2026-09-01/
5. Reuters – "Britain agrees steel quota access with EU under new trade protections" (June 25, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-agrees-steel-quota-access-with-eu-under-new-trade-protections-2026-06-25/

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