During this period, the tariff issue between China and the EU has been in a uproar, and the EU has ignored the strong opposition of China and its own companies, insisting on adopting discriminatory policies against China and imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other goods.
As one of the European leaders, France has contributed to this matter, constantly lobbying other countries to support the imposition of tariffs on China, as the saying goes, "the gun shoots the first bird", and the French side's high-profile actions have successfully attracted the attention of China.
Not long ago, China announced countermeasures, announcing the launch of anti-dumping investigations against a number of France brandy manufacturers, and relevant enterprises need to cooperate in paying deposits ranging from 30.6% to 39%.
As soon as the news came out, the stock prices of French wine companies such as Martell fell rapidly, and at first the French side also beat a rake, blaming the Chinese side, but it didn't take long for France to sit still.
PropNex talks to Foreign Minister Wang Yi
According to the news released on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a few days ago, the foreign affairs adviser of the President of France, Boehn, had a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and the French side claimed that it attaches great importance to the cooperation consensus reached by the two leaders, has no intention of excluding Chinese enterprises and products from the European market, and hopes to find a proper solution through consultation.
The summit consensus mentioned by the French side probably refers to the fact that in May this year, the highest level of the Chinese side visited France and held a 90-minute trilateral meeting with Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In the statement after the meeting, the Chinese and French leaders reached a consensus and pledged to further strengthen trade between the two countries, strengthen strategic docking, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, and avoid a "new Cold War". Now, however, the attitude of the French side on the tariff issue is undoubtedly contrary to these consensuses.
Therefore, during the dialogue with Boena, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also pointed out the crux of the issue and warned the French side to view the economic and trade relations between China and the EU with a positive and open attitude, work with China in the same direction, and avoid a trade war through consultation and negotiation.
The European Union has imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles
It can be said that the atmosphere of exchanges between the two sides this time is relatively friendly, and there are probably two reasons why the French side has repeatedly changed its face.
First, China's countermeasures have taken effect, and France's cognac grape growers and major brandy manufacturers are anxious, but the vast majority of people are well aware of what happened, so they jointly protested against the France government's promotion of the EU's tariff policy on China, exerting a lot of pressure.
Second, China's decisive actions have also frightened the French side, because cooperation with China is very important to the France economy, and if this incident destroys the atmosphere of cooperation between the two sides, the French side will bear far more consequences than now.
Moreover, China and France have also set a large order, and when Macron visited China, he pushed Airbus to win an aircraft order worth hundreds of billions of yuan. Now, France's behavior has aroused the dissatisfaction of the Chinese side, and if it continues to be tough, it may have a negative impact on the cooperation between the two sides, and this loss is unbearable for the French side.
Airbus aircraft
So why is France supporting the EU's crackdown on China's electric vehicles? This is probably because in the eyes of the French side, this is a good opportunity to promote the development of electric vehicles in France.
As soon as this tariff policy comes out, it will not only reduce the competitiveness of Chinese electric vehicles in Europe, but also seriously affect the development of Germany automobiles, and the change in the European market situation can bring opportunities to France's electric vehicles.
However, if France promotes its own development and builds it on the premise of undermining fair trade in other countries, it will only be counterproductive.