EU repurposes import surveillance task force to monitor Chinese trade surges

In April last year, Brussels launched an obscure “import surveillance task force” to track the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China on the EU economy.

The bloc was concerned that Chinese shipments bound for the United States would be diverted to Europe at lower prices, imperilling local manufacturers.

Eighteen months on, the European Union is on the cusp of its own trade war with China and is repurposing the task force as an early warning system for what it sees as dangerous surges in Chinese imports.

The intelligence it gathers could help Brussels decide where to strike when it comes to restricting Chinese goods, Denis Redonnet, the EU’s top trade enforcer, said on Thursday.