Gunnar Wiegand

Professor of EU diplomacy, think tanker ( GMF, EPC), Senior Advisor at Rasmussen Global. Former EU Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at @eu_eeas

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

Clear eyed must read: China 🇨🇳 shock 2.0 leads to 🇪🇺 🇩🇪 de-industrialisation. Beyond targeted product specific trade defence and sectoral safeguard measures a new US type section 301 measure becomes necessary, unless China changes course; highly unlikely. https://t.co/OffzSOKu5F

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

Feels like something is moving in Germany.

Conservative leader in EPP Manfred Weber

“Either we fight back, or China will cripple parts of our industry. The EU must now use its trade policy instruments decisively and without hesitation"

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

🇱🇧 President Aoun: A full ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, Hizbollah’s disarmament and the end of Tehran interference will ultimately allow a normalisation of Lebanese-Israeli relations.

[NEXTA @nexta_tv]

“Better to be a member of the EU than a U.S. state” — Finland’s president made Canada an unexpected proposal

Alexander Stubb suggested expanding the EU to around 40 countries. He said Europe needs to become stronger on the global stage and more actively attract new partners.

Among possible candidates, Stubb named the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, Norway, and Iceland.

According to him, now is the right moment due to the war in Ukraine and shifts in U.S. policy.

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

BREAKING: EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic says that "diversification requires a dedicated instrument"

First public acknowledgement the Commission is building a new tool

[Caspar Veldkamp @CasparVeldkamp]

Honoured to have been nominated for the position of Ambassador of the European Union 🇪🇺 to China 🇨🇳 - Looking forward to this fascinating new role. https://t.co/ZWU1hhKnl1

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

Foreign interference?

[Samuel Doveri Vesterbye @SamuelJsdv]

🇺🇸 State Dep. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor (DRL) will announce grants (originally $205M) to reshape European domestic politics in line with Trump adm. 🇺🇸priorities, ahead of French 🇫🇷 & German 🇩🇪 elections.

Full article in @ForeignPolicy 🔗

https://t.co/7ZWbiqSVIS

[Marcos Agustín @marcosagusstinn]

According to the OECD, Chinese firms received 3–8x more subsidies than Western competitors between 2005 and 2024, and around 60% of China’s global market-share gains since 2005 were driven by state support.

The United States does the same.

Its semiconductor strategy includes $52.7bn in CHIPS Act funding, plus major tax incentives.

Its defence, aerospace, AI and semiconductor ecosystems were built around decades of public procurement, DARPA, NASA, defence R&D, tax credits and federal industrial strategy.

Brussels must directly support European champions and focus on developing Europe’s strategic sectors: energy, defence, AI, semiconductors, batteries, aerospace, grids, robotics and advanced manufacturing.

Strategic public support creates global champions.

[Hans von der Burchard @vonderburchard]

Spannende Entwicklung: Seit über 10 Jahren verfolge ich die deutsche China-Politik, nun deutet sich zum ersten Mal eine Bereitschaft zu deutlich härteren handelspolitischen Maßnahmen an.

Grund: Wachsende Sorge, dass unsere industrielle Basis unfairem Wettbewerb zum Opfer fällt.

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

Europe Braces for China Shock 2.0 https://t.co/MifoAwJqSI

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

Ursula von der Leyen will ask top officials to back a major crackdown on subsidized Chinese imports.

The move will set the stage for a clash with EU countries that still want to protect their ties with Beijing.
https://t.co/U9iRZl6EwX

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

A coalition of 23 EU industry groups release a letter calling for a more aggressive trade policy to deal with "unfair trade practices and structural overcapacity/oversupply in non-market economies"

4 demands:

1. More trade defence staff
2. Use existing instruments earlier

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

Von der Leyen gears up for fight over China trade ties https://t.co/eO2NVRxKVu

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

The EU’s six largest countries reached an agreement today to move forward with a plan to turn the bloc into a Wall Street-style financial market, according to three officials with knowledge of proceedings. https://t.co/9wacsDLWAN

[Julian Olk @olk_julian]

Jetzt reagiert Europa auf den #ChinaSchock. Pekings Exportpolitik bedroht den Kern der europäischen Industrie. Brüssel dringt auf neue Zölle. Nun öffnet sich nach @handelsblatt-Infos dafür sogar die #Bundesregierung. https://t.co/CBsxb08bbE

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

A good overview of the main stakes before tomorrow’s Commission China policy review :
“Europe’s China anxiety is reaching a boiling point “
https://t.co/zQpeCZProk

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

Breaking: Brussels goes after 2 Chinese giants in sweeping regulatory moves

Temu fined €200 million for breaching the Digital Services Act

Commission opens in-depth foreign subsidies probe into https://t.co/zOZckz3qtA's $2.5 billion takeover of German retailer Ceconomy

[Gunnar Wiegand @WiegandEU]

Europa rüstet sich für den Handelskrieg mit China https://t.co/DwT665fm0b

[Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham]

New: On the table at Friday's Commission China debate:

- diversification instrument
- broader use of safeguard measures (tariffs & quotas)
- broad use of FSR in a sector-focused way to combat market distortions by subsidised Chinese firms

My report

https://t.co/seQzlvAnaq

[ECFR @ecfr]

Beijing no longer needs to actively deploy economic coercion to shape Europe’s economic agenda in its interest—China’s silent coercion has Europe sanctioning itself.

@TGehrke_ argues that Europeans need to deal with the China problem with industrial protection and economic deterrence combined into a comprehensive agenda.

Read the full commentary here: https://t.co/ieXtiMqb0t

[Martin Greive @MartinGreive]

Exklusiv: Das wäre eine fundamentale Kursänderung: In der deutschen Chinapolitik zeichnet sich ein Strategiewechsel ab. In der Bundesregierung wächst die Bereitschaft, einen härteren Kurs gegenüber Peking mitzutragen.
https://t.co/qM1gWmz0Pm