EU leaders push to rescue European economy challenged by China and US

The leaders of the 27 countries making up the EU will thrash out ways to transform the European economy and protect key sectors like steel. © Ina FASSBENDER / AFP

Brussels (AFP) – EU leaders will converge on a Belgian castle on Thursday as the bloc seeks ways to punch its economic weight on the global stage – faced with threats from China and the United States, and hamstrung by its own divisions.

It is a challenge that has long dogged the European Union, but has gained greater urgency because of geopolitical turbulence, intensified global competition and an economy that lags behind bigger powers.