Beijing announces the launch of investigations into European trade practices, deemed unfair. Chinese officials from the Ministry of Commerce believe that European practices are nothing but disguised forms of protectionism. The Chinese investigation is expected to last at least six months and could be extended until April 2025. Beijing aims to determine precisely whether certain Chinese industrial groups have lost market share in Europe due to illegal practices. The most scrutinized sectors are transportation, with significant locomotive sales contracts at stake, and energy, including contracts for photovoltaic panels and wind energy.

In reality, Beijing is seeking to retaliate against the trade investigations launched by the Brussels Commission. The first European investigation targeted a subsidiary of the Chinese railway manufacturer CRRC. This industrial giant is the world's number one in the sector. Brussels contested the supply of electric trains in Bulgaria after a tender deemed problematic by European authorities. Less than two months later, Brussels targeted two consortia involving Chinese companies for the construction and operation of a photovoltaic park in Romania. Finally, in early July, the European Commission raised tariffs on Chinese electric car imports to as much as 38%. European car manufacturers are in panic, considering that the mass sale of Chinese vehicles threatens the very survival of the entire sector on the Old Continent. The battle also extends to the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles, another aspect of the relentless trade war between the European Union and China. For example, the German group Solarwatt is closing its battery factory in Germany, with production being transferred to China. Even the "gigafactories" of electric batteries established in Europe depend on Chinese technology. The trap is closing on the entire European automotive sector.

For decades, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has overseen the rules governing international trade between countries. Its main function was to promote, as much as possible, the smooth operation, predictability, and freedom of trade... But in recent years, the WTO has stalled! It should be noted that the operation of the WTO's Appellate Body, an essential instance for resolving trade disputes between countries, was unplugged by the American administration under Donald Trump. This legal tool was crucial for trade multilateralism to resolve disputes. Now, it's the law of the strongest that prevails, to the advantage of the United States!

Joe Biden has adopted this choice to marginalize the WTO. This period of WTO weakening is taking on worrying proportions... Europe is caught in a vise between the two superpowers, China and the United States. The WTO is therefore stalled and no longer plays its role as an international trade tribunal. That is why the world is plunging into trade wars with the rise of protectionism... Trade protectionism, which not only hampers global growth but also exacerbates already intense global geopolitical tensions. The European Union not only opposes China on military aid to Ukraine but now also on trade exchanges. This new face-off adds to the world's dangers.