MOFCOM said it had noted reports that France and Germany urged the EU to bolster
trade‑defence and other protectionist measures. China warned mutual dependence
is not a risk and said openness and cooperation, not protectionism or
decoupling, are the right path; protectionism undermines competitiveness and
decoupling harms all sides. It urged France and Germany, as major economies, to
uphold openness, free trade and WTO rules, and not push the EU to overuse
protectionist tools or to politicize and securitize economic and trade issues,
warning such steps could ultimately backfire.
