China has been systematically cultivating individual European Union (EU) member states to accelerate its exports, even as its broader relations with the bloc remain deeply strained over a ballooning trade surplus, according to a report in the Financial Times. The strategy, analysts note, reflects Beijing's calculated approach of bypassing Brussels by building bilateral goodwill with select EU capitals.

The Scale of China's Trade Surplus with the EU

In 2025, China's trade surplus with the EU hit a record 360 billion euros, and the trend has only accelerated — rising a further 24 per cent year-on-year in the first half of this year. Beyond direct EU members, Beijing is also reportedly leveraging relationships with countries adjacent to the bloc, including the United Kingdom and Morocco, to gain indirect access to the EU single market.

At the corporate level, the pressure is compounding. Many EU companies are reportedly suffering from China's export controls on rare earths — restrictions introduced last year during the escalating trade war with the United States.

Brussels Pushes Back — With a Deadline

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao agreed in June to structured consultations across four areas: trade and investment balancing, export controls, intellectual property rights, and WTO reform. Sefcovic set an October deadline for 'tangible results' on reducing China's surplus with the bloc.

Beijing, however, has come to the table with its own conditions. China is demanding a reduction in tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports and the scrapping of export controls on chip-manufacturing machines from the Netherlands' ASML — a key flashpoint in the broader technology rivalry between China and the West.

Diplomatic Asymmetry: Xi's Red Carpet vs. Brussels' Cold Shoulder

The diplomatic imbalance is stark. EU leaders were reportedly compelled to travel to Beijing last July to meet President Xi Jinping for the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations — despite it nominally being China's turn to visit Brussels. The talks, described as uncomfortable, covered both the trade surplus and the war in Ukraine.

By contrast, Beijing has since rolled out a notably warmer welcome for bilateral visitors. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have both received red-carpet treatment in the Chinese capital — visits that critics argue are part of Beijing's deliberate strategy to fracture EU unity by cultivating individual member-state leaders.

Beijing's Official Position

China's foreign affairs ministry has maintained that the two sides are 'partners not rivals.' According to the Financial Times report, Beijing has stated: 'China has always supported the process of European integration and is committed to developing relations with EU institutions and member states on a comprehensive, balanced, equal and mutually beneficial basis.'

Critics argue, however, that the selective bilateral outreach tells a different story — one of strategic wedge-driving rather than bloc-level partnership.

What Happens Next

The October deadline set by Commissioner Sefcovic will be the first real test of whether EU-China consultations yield verifiable progress. Should the surplus continue unchecked, the Financial Times report warns that Europe may be forced to take more decisive action — or risk what it terms 'full de-industrialisation.' The outcome of ongoing ASML export control negotiations and EV tariff discussions will be closely watched as bellwethers of the relationship's trajectory.