The EU wants to unveil new trade weapons. Beijing warns: Don’t imagine applying pressure in exchange for benefits.

France and Germany have previously proposed that the EU's legal "arsenal" should be strengthened to deal with possible trade conflicts with China.

After the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, European Commission President von der Leyen said that the EU will develop a new tool so that relevant parties can quickly restrict access to the EU market if it is in the EU's interests.

But she also said: "I must be clear: these new tools do not replace the full use of existing means. We should use existing tools to their fullest extent according to different situations."

Last week, France and Germany sent a letter to von der Leyen suggesting the introduction of faster response tools in a possible trade war - for example, if a country cuts off the supply of key raw materials.

At present, China's exports to the EU are much higher than the EU's exports to China, and this gap is widening. The EU is worried that this imbalance will further damage the EU's interests.

Last year, the EU's trade deficit with China was approximately 360 billion euros. Von der Leyen warned that this number may "worse further" in 2026. She said on Friday that the European Commission will also propose more restrictions on Chinese imports, beyond the previous agreement with Beijing to limit the volume of Chinese hybrid cars.

Last week, the European Union and Beijing agreed to restrict imports of hybrid cars from China, which to some extent eased concerns about a trade war.

However, the China issue is still an important agenda item at this EU leaders’ summit. German Chancellor Mertz said on Thursday that EU leaders supported the proposals put forward by France and Germany. He told reporters that there was a "surprisingly broad consensus" among all parties and "completely unanimous and unconditional support."

French President Macron said that the EU is shifting to "a more pragmatic trade policy - one that is willing to protect European industries and companies from the impact of unfair competition."

Von der Leyen said the EU would also establish a "solidarity mechanism" to support member states when they "suffer from coercion or retaliation." She also said that the EU will also launch tools to encourage companies to diversify their suppliers and limit EU companies' reliance on a single source for the supply of certain critical materials.

According to AFP, the European Commission president stressed that the move was not targeted at any specific country.

However, Beijing has responded quickly. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning on Friday urged the European Union to avoid introducing "protectionist and discriminatory policies and measures." China’s Ministry of Commerce later warned that “the European side must not fantasize about exchanging pressure for benefits, let alone underestimate China’s determination and ability to safeguard its own interests.”