Spain breaks with France-led push for tougher EU trade stance on China

Spain has distanced itself from a French-led initiative aimed at strengthening the European Union's trade defences against China, in a move that deals a significant blow to efforts to forge a unified bloc-wide front on trade policy toward Beijing.

Madrid had previously aligned with the French-backed push, which sought to bolster the EU's defensive trade instruments against Chinese imports. Its reversal reduces the coalition of member states willing to take a harder line on Beijing and complicates the broader European effort to present a coordinated position on China trade issues.

The development underscores the deep divisions within the EU over how to manage its economic relationship with China, as member states weigh strategic trade concerns against their own bilateral commercial interests with Beijing. France has been among the most vocal advocates for a more assertive European posture, but Spain's withdrawal signals that consensus around that approach remains elusive among the bloc's major economies.