European Parliament Vice-President Javi López said Friday that the European Union's trade deficit with China is an unsustainable reality.
The statement highlights growing tension over economic imbalances and suggests that the EU may seek corrective measures to stabilize its trade relationship with Beijing.
López said that the EU currently runs a trade deficit with China of approximately €1 billion per day [1]. He said this specific financial gap is a situation that cannot persist in its current form.
"It is an unsustainable reality that we run a €1 billion-a-day trade deficit with China," López said [2].
The vice-president said that the scale of the imbalance requires attention to ensure long-term economic stability within the bloc. He said that the trade imbalance with China cannot continue [3].
While the EU has previously engaged in dialogues regarding market access and fair competition, this latest assessment underscores the urgency of the issue. The daily loss of €1 billion [1] represents a significant drain on the European economy, and a persistent challenge for policymakers in Brussels.
López did not specify the exact mechanisms for correction during his remarks, but he said the current state of affairs is a critical point of failure for the existing trade framework.
“The trade imbalance with China cannot continue.”
The insistence by a high-ranking EU official that a €1 billion daily deficit is unsustainable suggests a shift toward more protectionist or corrective trade policies. By framing the imbalance as a systemic failure rather than a market fluctuation, the EU is signaling a potential increase in tariffs, subsidies for domestic industries, or stricter import regulations to reduce dependence on Chinese exports.
