European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Photo: VCG
In a speech delivered on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum (WEF), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned China 14 times, claiming a "China shock" to world trade was caused by the so-called "over-capacity," while at the same time expressing a willingness to "engage and deepen" EU's relationship with China.
The WEF kicked off its 2025 session on Monday (local time) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. According to the WEF's website, this year, the five-day annual meeting convenes under the title Collaboration for the Intelligent Age, with global leaders gathering to address key global and regional challenges.
Per a transcript from the WEF's official website, von der Leyen said in her speech that "When China joined the WTO [World Trade Organization] 25 years ago, the impact of rising Chinese exports was called the 'China shock." She went on to say that "Today, some are talking about a second China shock" caused by the so-called "over-capacity," adding "we must respond to this."
However, von der Leyen also said "we must engage constructively with China - to find solutions in our mutual interest."
The European Commission President added that "2025 marks 50 years of our union's diplomatic relations with China. I see it as an opportunity to engage and deepen our relationship with China, and where possible, even to expand our trade and investment ties."
"Von der Leyen's contradictory and divided remarks regarding China reflect the EU's dilemma in its policy toward China," Zhao Junjie, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
On one hand, the EU is aligned with the unified strategy of the US to contain China. This approach views China as a competitor and an ideological rival, aiming to pressure it into ceding its interests, Zhao said.
However, the EU also takes its own interests into account, as it acknowledges that engaging in fierce competition with China has caused significant harm to the EU itself. Furthermore, this approach has not only offended China but has also generated discontent within EU, the expert noted.
According to European news website Euractiv, von der Leyen did not explicitly refer to the new US president's plan to put up trade barriers in her speech. Instead, she made a case for what's at stake for Americans in their country's trading relationship with Europe.
US President Donald Trump has promised to address a longstanding trade deficit with the EU, saying he will reverse that by imposing tariffs or making the EU buy more US oil and gas, Reuters reported.
The lack of explicit mention of the US' tariff threats may indicate the EU is subtly suggesting that China should be Washington's primary focus, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
The EU should consider adapting to new circumstances in its economic cooperation with China and not attribute normal business competition between China and the EU to other factors, said Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noting that if the EU can reach a consensus with China on this matter, there will be greater space for cooperation given the complementary advantages of both sides.