Brussels - Paris: Europe and the Arabs - Agencies
The European Commission in Brussels said that President Ursula von der Leyen will participate today, Monday, in the tripartite meeting with Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, scheduled in Paris. The President of the European Commission said that she will press for a "fair" competition. With Beijing during its upcoming talks with the Chinese President. “We have to take action to make sure that the competition is fair and not distorted,” von der Leyen said hours before the trilateral meeting in Paris with Xi and Macron. She also added, "China currently manufactures, with massive subsidies, more than it sells, due to its declining internal demand. This leads to an increase in the supply of subsidized Chinese products, such as electric cars and steel, which leads to unfair trade." She stressed that "Europe cannot accept practices like this that distort the market and could lead to a decline in industrialization in Europe."
In an interview with the newspaper "La Tribune" published on Sunday, Macron acknowledged that there is no "consensus" among the Europeans regarding the strategy to be followed with Beijing, because "some parties still see China as a market for sale," while it "is exporting massively to Europe." .
He called for "better protection of our national security," "much greater realism in defending our interests," and "reciprocity" in exchanges with China.
In the midst of European fears of economic decline in light of the competition between the two primary powers in the world, that is, the United States and China, Brussels opened during the past months a series of investigations into the support packages provided by the Chinese government to some industrial sectors, especially electric cars.
Europeans and Americans fear that this government support undermines competition and may harm the global economy. In this context, Beijing accuses Europe of "protectionism" and intends to make its position clear in Paris. China, in turn, opened an investigation into government support for some products, such as the French Cognac drink, about which Macron is expected to raise reservations. In an article published in the French newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday, the Chinese President affirmed that the two countries are able to “strengthen their cooperation in the field of innovation in order to support green development,” as is the case with battery production factories, expressing his hope that France will provide Chinese companies with a “fair and equal business climate.” While the signing of any major contract has not yet been revealed, discussions regarding investments will continue until the end. A China-France economic forum is scheduled to be held Monday at the Marigny Theater.