Jun 19, 2026

Despite European Union (EU) protectionist policy and politicized trade narratives within the bloc, deep China-Europe economic interdependence will ensure continued cooperation, making engagement and negotiation more sustainable than protectionism, Chinese experts said on Friday, after the Financial Times (FT) reported that the EU had delayed a potential trade confrontation with China following a two-day summit in Brussels that exposed divisions within the bloc.

The leaders of the 27 EU countries gathered in Brussels for a two-day summit on Thursday and Friday. Despite combative rhetoric in the lead-up to the Brussels meeting, the 27 leaders opted for dialogue rather than immediate action to deal with what they called "global macroeconomic imbalances," the report said.

EU leaders instructed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to "continue engaging in a constructive dialogue" with main economic partners. At the same time, they said she should "develop and eventually complement the toolbox in the area of trade defence and industrial policy," an EU official was cited by the report as saying.   

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202606/1363927.shtml