Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I see this tossed around but no one ever seems to point out that EU has similar numbers, which are about half, but still extremely higher than global average; and much more so in the richer countries of the EU (per capita of course)


The EU complains about China Shock equally as much as the US [0][1][2][3][4][5][6]

Just becuase Trump burnt bridges with the EU doesn't mean that EU member states will gladly allow job losses across Europe's industrial heartland to a country that is supplying a direct competitor (Russia) that has conducted grey zone warfare within the EU

The EU and it's member states are all working on building domestic capacity, and pushing Chinese manufacturers to manufacture WITHIN the EU [7][8], and further diversifying by making FTAs with ASEAN [9][10], Japan [11], SK [12], India [13], etc.

In essence, nothing has materially changed in European policy with regards to China compared to under the Biden administration.

Chinese overproduction is a global issue now, and most major economies and blocs have enacted barriers and will continue to do so unless China removes it's barriers to imports, subsidizes, and technology transfers.

[0] - https://ecfr.eu/publication/electric-shock-the-chinese-threa...

[1] - https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2025/ho...

[2] - https://www.gmfus.org/news/watching-china-europe-may-2025

[3] - https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/07/eus-unsustainable-china...

[4] - https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2024/html/ecb.blog...

[5] - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/13259/hit-by-the-silk-ro...

[6] - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-15/eu-econom...

[7] - https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/09/19/near-shoring-is-...

[8] - https://www.bruegel.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/The%20EU...

[9] - https://www.reuters.com/world/china/sweden-propose-eu-member...

[10] - https://www.ft.com/content/bee31826-012d-4bb1-a6eb-d6cc0d4ef...

[11] - https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-cou...

[12] - https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/content/eu-s...

[13] - https://apnews.com/article/india-eu-modi-ursula-von-der-leye...


What about the EU stopping its own subsidies first, before asking this from other countries?


Why not China. China spends 1.73% of it's GDP on subsidizes compared to 0.4-0.6% for France and Germany [0].

At least Germany and France open factories across the EU. Chinese manufacturers did not until the EU began tariffs actions.

Furthermore, Chinese dumping in solar destroyed Germany's original lead in PV manufacturing, and China continues to force foreign manufacturers like VW to partner with Chinese SOEs.

European nations may as well demand the same as well then.

And Chinese dumping is something all nations are fighting - especially other developing countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Mexico, etc.

[0] - https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publi...


> force foreign manufacturers

Is it accurate to say that these companies are "forced"? Shareholders make cold, unfeeling, selfish calculations all the time. The shareholders of these companies could simply elect not to do business in China and accept the consequences of diminishing their access to the Chinese market.

Using the word "force" suggests that the largest shareholders of these corporations are victims acting under duress, which they most certainly aren't.


That's laughable, countries in BRICS are so "worried" about Chinese cheap industrialized products, like cheap comfortable EV cars, that they're making more and more treats with China to keep these products coming...


Or maybe the EU should subsidize more instead of policing around?

The EU reminds me of the teacher's pet going around the playground, telling all the other children that they should follow the rules. But of course, the pet doesn't have a big stick, so nobody really bothers listening to him/her.


I don't disagree with the EU's laggardness around changing economic tides, but if just about every major economic bloc and country is initiating trade barriers against China to protect their domestic industries, at some point the common denominator is China.

And as I mentioned elsewhere, much of this overproduction would go away were Chinese consumers able to dip into their savings if China's social safety net was expanded and the CCP's Reaganesque opposition to "Welfarism" was toned down.


Of course but the EU thinks it’s a better strategy to engage with China which remains a major partner to move the needle in the right direction rather than burn bridges. There are a lot of tools which could be used to limit the impact of Chinese surproduction and push China towards shoring up its internal market.

The US used to do the same and will hopefully be sane again in three years.


Command economies hell-bent on economic dominance are not going to engage. The only way to limit Chinese super production is to either block their goods outright or to subsidize your own to out-price theirs locally.

A lot of people don't understand the CCP mentality clearly. China was once the epicenter of human production, making things the rest of the world desired, from Chinaware to silk to tea. The rest of the world fought wars and crossed oceans to obtain exclusive rights to those goods, while the Chinese dynasties simply sat on their thrones and levied tributes from every farflung nation. The CCP wants to return China to THAT level of dominance, this time with tech, electronics and an addiction to rare raw materials.


> sat on their thrones and levied tributes from every farflung nation

You mean, like the US is now doing?


Nope. Would have been the case if the US imposed usage taxes on foreign users of its goods and services, like tech products and cloud services, but that's not what's happening.

The Chinese tributes were more like payments for the right to trade those goods (which were separate from the cost of goods itself). That's why when the European traders arrived in China, the Emperor simply thought that they were another tributary state seeking protection and trade rights.


The US is imposing terms on foreign countries for use of its goods, that's what the chips restrictions are all about.


There is no such thing as "overproduction", all production in China is reaching a destination, so by definition it is the right production level.


Retaliatory measures are a better way to balance things rather than playing a game of command-economy brinksmanship.


[flagged]


> Zeiss

Since when is Zeiss Swiss and not German?

Also if ASML is partially US owned so are all major US tech companies partially “EU owned” in a similar way.


Bayer owns Monsanto for instance.


> It's exactly what's happening: what used to be leaders in ICE cars are now the laughing stocks of the EV world.

This is really nonsense. VAG, BMW and Mercedes have been making good EVs for many years and are now progressing to making excellent ones. They only really lag Tesla on the software/hardware integration (and that isn't actually much of a selling point outside the HN crowd) while they lead on more traditional points like cabin quality.

If you previously wanted to drive a Golf (and tens of millions of people did), then you're likely to want to drive an ID.3, ID.4 or Enyaq. If you previously wanted to drive a Passat, then you're likely to want to drive an ID.7. If you liked the BMW saloons, you'll like the i4. Mercedes are a little further behind, but they're getting there with the EQE.

If I wanted to bet on the shape of the European car market in five years, I'd be betting on German, Korean and Chinese EVs dominating. I don't see much future for American brands on this side of the Atlantic.


Why stick around if you have this amount of pent-up hatred and disgust for the EU, the people who live here, and everything they believe in at a fundamental ideological level?

If you believe the grass is so much greener on the other side then why not just go for it? Judging by your nickname I'm assuming that you have the means to move just about anywhere if you really wanted to, but I think you'll be sorely disappointed no matter where you end up going.


> I'm not that concern for the US: lifestyle may go down a bit, but the US is a country of do'ers.

Yeah, drug do'ers.


Whats stopping you? You sound like jaded old fool who made some serious irreversible mistakes in their lives, and now just overflowing with regret and hate.

EU may be foolish in some aspects, I agree there, but life quality as in actual daily levels of stress, happiness, quality of life, quality and costs of basic services that take care of weak (which one day you will inevitably become too) is stellar and parsecs better what people in same position in life can rely on ie in US. Or crime level. Or free decent education.

But we have freedom, you don't like a place then trivially move, if your skills are worth its salt. You can spend rest of your life in society that has different priorities and thrive there, if you can.


The question is whether this life quality is sustainable long term.

Of course, the same goes even more so for US.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: