France, Germany call for new weapon allowing ‘immediate cut off’ of China from EU market
Por Finbarr Bermingham — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement China-EU relations China Diplomacy France, Germany call for new weapon allowing ‘immediate cut off’ of China from EU market
Strategy laid out in joint paper and letter to EU chief signed by the leaders of the two largest members of the bloc and seen by the SCMP
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Finbarr Bermingham in Brussels Published: 10:08pm, 5 Oct 2026 In the strongest sign yet of a shifting European Union policy on China , the leaders of France and Germany have demanded a new trade weapon that would cut off access to the EU market when third countries cause severe distortions.
The tool would effectively act as a kill switch, allowing Brussels to respond rapidly to systemic distortions, potentially immediately. It would grant dramatic new powers to the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, which manages trade policy for the 27-member union.
The strategy was laid out in a joint paper written by the bloc’s two largest members, as well as a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – both of which have been seen by the South China Morning Post – ahead of a crucial period of EU-China negotiations.
“We need a credible instrument in the hands of the Commission to allow for decisive and systemic reaction , i.e. activation by reversed qualified majority, and for powerful measures up to an immediate cut-off from the internal market if needed,” the letter, signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, said. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
