Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever on Tuesday local time has called on European leaders to develop a coherent strategy to counter what he described as “China’s drive for economic domination,” while claiming that EU leaders are running scared of China, media reported. A Chinese expert said the remarks reflect an arrogant mindset that some European politicians push for a unified tough EU strategy toward China, yet refusing to face its own problems and adapt to new reality.
Speaking at an event organized by two pro-EU think tanks in Brussels on Tuesday, De Wever said he was disappointed to hear that Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has reportedly launched a fresh gambit to include China in coordination efforts ahead of a G7 meeting next week, according to a report by Euractiv.
The G7 leaders’ summit will run from June 15 to 17 in France. Emmanuel Macron, whose country holds the Presidency of the G7 for 2026, is reportedly set to host a video call between the group and China to address global trade imbalances.
The report by Euractiv said that EU leaders will meet in Brussels on June 18 and 19, a day after the G7, for a summit where China is expected to be central to the agenda – albeit not officially.
“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,” De Wever claimed, before immediately asking if any journalists were in the room, per the report.
“That’s all very well, but we do take a lot of initiatives. It is time to adopt a strategy,” De Wever claimed at the event, Belga News Agency reported.
Jiang Feng, a researcher at Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Regional Studies Association, told the Global Times that Belgium acts inconsistently and self-contradictorily by opposing trade barriers while pushing for measures against China, which fully shows its lack of strategic composure. He noted that Europe’s real troubles amid current challenges lie not with China, but in its own development, as it is deficient in creativity, vitality, cohesion, and credibility.
“For a long time, Europe has been accustomed to a world in which other countries develop in accordance with its own normative framework. However, with the continued rise of emerging powers, the global order has undergone profound changes,” Jiang said. Europe should therefore fundamentally recalibrate its mindset and adapt it to the evolving international landscape, he added.
Already in March, De Wever called on the EU to adopt a firmer approach toward what he described as unfair Chinese competition. In a letter to European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, he warned that Beijing’s economic policies are eroding Europe’s industrial base.
The EU currently resembles a fortress on the defensive. When confronted with any country possessing promising prospects for development, it tends to retreat into a defensive posture and externalize responsibility, Jiang said. Such a response is unquestionably an inferior course of action rather than a choice made with an eye to the future.
The report by Belga News Agency on Tuesday noted that despite the threat to Europe’s industry, the prime minister warned against responding with a subsidy race or trade barriers. Europe would lose on the former, he argued, while the latter would drive up costs for both businesses and consumers.
De Wever’s remarks came amid recent mixed signals from the EU over how to handle relations with China.
However, since late last year, leaders from multiple European countries have visited China in succession, underscoring a notable trend among European leaders to “look East,” reaching out to strengthen cooperation including in trade sector, observers noted.
When asked to comment on a proposal advancing by the EU that would force companies to avoid over-dependency in their supply chains, which it comes as the bloc is looking to reset its trade relationship with China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that “as an old Chinese saying goes, do not do unto others what you would not have others do unto you. China-EU trade is not a zero-sum game.”
The spokesperson Lin Jian added that between China and Europe, the industrial and supply chains are highly integrated and mutually dependent. This is shaped by economic globalization and market force and has served both Chinese and European businesses well. 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?
A more constructive course of action would be to respond to China’s development by engaging in in-depth strategic dialogue with China. Competitive pressures are an objective reality, even without China, similar pressures would arise from other countries, and this fact must be recognized, Jiang noted.
The expert said that the EU should therefore adopt an objective approach and engage China in consultations at the strategic level, with a view to achieving a more balanced bilateral economic and trade relationship.
