While the planet focuses on the pricing barriers erected by the American president, we would almost forget that the trade war is also played in Asia. In 2024, Beijing, whose trade surplus borders the $ 1,000 billion, was targeted by nearly 200 complaints against its products for distortions of competition, points to François Chimits, economist at the Center for Prospective Studies and International Information (CEPII) and the Mercator Institute for China Studies, citing the authorities of the country. An unprecedented level.
To say that China dominates world trade is an understatement. She crushes him. In 2023, the country provided more than half of the world exports for 730 goods, according to CEPII. Doped by an overcapacity of production and lack of sufficient interior demand, these flows progress at a frantic pace. In addition to flooding the world with its cheap products, the Chinese government handles the protectionist weapon with as much skill as those it criticizes. Whether by taxing Australian wine or certain agricultural products from Canada, “China has no restraint to roughly overcome the rules of the World Trade Organization if it considers it necessary for its interests,” explains François Chimits.
Once is not customary, the old continent is found on the front line. “With the American and Japanese markets that close, Europe appears to be the only outlet for Chinese products,” confirms the expert. In the ambient din, be careful not to neglect any threat.