EU Parliament Vice-President Juan López (S&D, Spain) returned from a trip to China urging the EU to "relaunch" relations with Beijing and warning of a €1bn-a-day trade deficit as an "unsustainable reality." He said thawing an eight-year stalemate requires engagement, not isolation, and advocated dialogue and cooperation over deploying the EU's "trade bazooka." López expressed hope that European Commission mediation will begin to ease tensions.
EU Parliament VP López Urges Relaunch With Beijing, Warns of €1bn-a-Day Trade Deficit
EU’s €1bn-a-day trade gap with China an 'unsustainable reality', says EU Parliament VP
EU Parliament Vice-President Juan López (S&D, Spain) said after a visit to China that the European Union must "relaunch" its relationship with Beijing to address an escalating trade imbalance and thaw an eight-year diplomatic stalemate.
López warned that the EU faces a trade deficit with China of roughly €1 billion a day — a gap he called an "unsustainable reality" that requires urgent attention.
Diplomacy Over Confrontation
The Spanish MEP said the trip aimed to reopen lines of communication and stressed that rebuilding ties will require engagement rather than isolation. He argued that solutions should be pursued "through dialogue and cooperation," and cautioned against a reflexive defensive posture.
"We should seek resolution through dialogue and cooperation, not by deploying the EU's 'trade bazooka'," López told reporters after the visit.
López expressed optimism that mediation by the European Commission will start to ease tensions between Brussels and Beijing, and called for a coordinated EU strategy combining diplomatic outreach with strategic economic policy.
Context: López’s intervention highlights growing concern in Brussels over the scale of the EU-China trade imbalance and signals a push for pragmatic engagement to manage both competition and cooperation.
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