Why Europe keeps losing
The article discusses Europe's challenges in trade relations, particularly with China. It compares the EU's situation to a confused football team with too many players and conflicting strategies. The EU's dependence on China for critical imports limits its ability to effectively retaliate against Chinese trade practices.
- ▪The EU is struggling with its trade relationship with China, facing threats like export controls on rare earths.
- ▪China's trade surplus with the EU increased by 26% from January to April 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.
- ▪The EU's dependency on both the US for defense and China for imports hampers its ability to retaliate effectively.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Why Europe keeps losing China has a stranglehold on trade Does Europe have too many players on the field? (Michael Kappeler/Pool/Getty) Does Europe have too many players on the field? (Michael Kappeler/Pool/Getty) ChinaEUGlobalisationTariffsTrade Wolfgang Munchau May 26 2026 - 12:03am 6 mins I often think about the EU as a confused football team. There are too many players on the field. Some of the players do not know which team they are playing for. They are cheered on by fans from the stands — many from the UK, who would love to be on the pitch themselves. Some of these spectators give the players and their team manager some really bad advice. They cheered Team EU when they were battling Donald Trump over his trade tariffs.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at UnHerd.
