China rebukes EU protectionist trade plans as Germany, France push new safeguards

Germany and France are proposing new trade protection instruments to shield the European economy, prompting China to publicly urge the EU to renounce protectionism. The proposal signals a potential shift toward more defensive EU trade policy, which could escalate tensions with Beijing. The exact scope and timing of these instruments remain unclear, but the rhetoric marks a notable hardening in EU-China trade relations.