France and Germany unveil joint roadmap to curb China trade deficit

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a Franco‑German plan to address the growing trade imbalance with China. The two leaders said a joint roadmap will be drafted by September, calling for stronger use of existing EU tools, new industrial‑policy measures and faster anti‑dumping actions against what they describe as unfair Chinese trade practices.

The statement highlighted that the EU adds roughly €1 billion to its trade deficit with China each day and that the gap is eroding jobs in sectors such as automotive, machinery, chemicals and tool‑making. Macron and Merz portrayed China’s trade aggressiveness as a challenge comparable to Russia’s security threat, urging the European Commission to accelerate investigations and reinforce the bloc’s trade‑defence toolbox.

Both governments will task their economic, finance and foreign ministries with preparing concrete proposals, aiming to protect European industry and reduce the current €90 billion trade shortfall with China.