China ‘most challenging trade partner’, says EU’s next trade chief

Maros Sefcovic, close ally of bloc’s hawkish boss, also vows to crack down on mainland-exported overcapacity ‘with all our force’

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Maros Sefcovic, the nominee to become the European Union’s trade and economic commissioner, is seen as a close ally of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:21am, 5 Nov 2024

The European Union’s trade chief-in-waiting has described China as the bloc’s “most challenging trade partner” at a parliamentary confirmation hearing in which he vowed to crack down on mainland-exported overcapacity “with all our force”.

Maros Sefcovic, regarded as a close ally of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stuck closely to the tone established by his hawkish boss over the last three years during a three-hour grilling by members of the European Parliament on Monday.

The Slovak said the “pendulum is swinging” towards matters of economic security amid tensions between free trade and protectionism, articulating a more muscular vision of the EU than that outlined by his predecessor, Valdis Dombrovskis.

“We will tackle with all our force overcapacities being created by China and threatening our industry in Europe,” said Sefcovic, who would also be the commissioner for economic security should he clear a vote of MEPs later this month.

By his account, he said he had told his counterparts from Beijing that the EU “cannot tolerate where subsidies are aimed to preserve Chinese jobs at the expense of jobs for Europeans”.

Why the EU, US are concerned about China’s overcapacity

Describing China as “our third biggest and most challenging” trading partner, Sefcovic vowed to “rebalance” ties and be “more assertive in challenging structural imbalances and unfair practices” including “non-market policies driving overcapacity”.