EU leaders weigh new trade defences to counter China's export dominance

Chinese-made cars being loaded on to a European freight ship for export at a port in Yantai, in China's eastern Shandong province, on 11 June 2026. © AFP

European Union leaders will debate on Thursday whether the bloc needs stronger trade defences to curb a surge of Chinese exports that Brussels sees as a threat to European industry and jobs.

At a two-day summit in Brussels starting on Thursday evening, EU leaders will seek ways to reduce a growing imbalance in the flow of goods between Europe and China – which Brussels fears makes it vulnerable to potential coercion and supply shocks.