EU said to be preparing to hit China with 20 new anti-dumping probes

The European Union is planning to sharply ramp up its trade defences against China in the coming weeks, as it looks to protect its industries from cut-price competition and industrial spillovers in the world’s second-largest economy, a former top official has said.

Speaking at an event on Thursday, former trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said there were “preparations for another 20 anti-dumping investigations in a variety of fields going on”.

“So I think they will be opened consecutively in the coming weeks,” said the former Swedish official, at an event hosted by the Institute for International and Economic Affairs in Dublin.

Cecilia Malmstrom was the European trade commissioner from 2014 to 2019. Photo: Reuters

Responding to questions from the Post, Malmstrom described Beijing as “a complicated partner” that has “very cleverly taken advantage of countries across the world who are disappointed with the United States” since the return of President Donald Trump at the beginning of the year.

“Many people said that now, when the EU and US have increasing tensions, this will push the EU towards China. That hasn’t happened,” she said. “Other countries have been pushed towards China, but not the EU – we still have these massive concerns.”

While the European Commission did not confirm the comments, a series of top officials have spoken in recent days about their mounting grievances with Beijing’s trade policies. Brussels is awash with frustration over China’s unwillingness to address EU concerns.

These have been amplified by the perceived threat of trade diversion emanating from Trump’s tariffs, which has led to fears that under-pressure Chinese exporters will reroute their goods to Europe at a discount, thereby endangering local producers.

Officials have complained about China’s industrial overcapacity and “weaponisation” of its global market dominance in rare earth minerals and magnets, through the roll-out of new rules in April requiring licences to export the commodities that has led to dozens of industrial closures in Europe.

South China Morning Post