Overview
- The European Commission will unveil an economic security doctrine on Dec. 3 to reassess trade defences, including export controls, investment screening and potential use of the Anti‑Coercion Instrument.
- Germany has shifted toward tougher measures, creating an expert panel on security‑relevant trade, barring Chinese components from future 6G networks and calling for protections for strategic industries.
- German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil raised concerns in China over rare‑earth export curbs and industrial overcapacity, citing lessons from past energy dependencies.
- EU leaders agreed in October to make fuller use of economic tools to counter unfair trade as the bloc’s goods deficit with China grows and reliance on Chinese inputs for green and digital transitions deepens.
- Internal divisions persist, with Spain courting Chinese investment and benefiting in pork trade, while the Nexperia episode and reported chip withholding underscore why deploying the EU’s anti‑coercion powers will require strong unity.