European commissioners met to discuss measures aimed at shielding EU industries from a surge in subsidized Chinese imports and securing alternative supplies of critical minerals and key inputs to reduce reliance on Beijing, the European Commission said in a May 29 statement. The commission also said discussions will continue at the G7 summit in France on June 15 and at the European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on June 18-19.

The European Union's goods trade deficit with China widened to 360 billion euros ($420 billion) in 2025, nearly 20% above the 2024 deficit, and expanded further in the first quarter of 2026. Beijing has increasingly leveraged export controls on materials critical to European industry, including rare-earth magnets, gallium, germanium and graphite, with last year's restrictions disrupting parts of the EU auto sector. Brussels has also fielded complaints from the chemicals, steel and green tech sectors over cheap Chinese imports and is preparing a more assertive trade defense policy. For instance, the bloc has proposed the Industrial Accelerator Act, introducing local-content rules and investment screening, supplier-diversification requirements and preparatory tariffs on Chinese chemicals and machinery.