Trump arrives in Beijing in a weak position, Europe fears being the collateral damage of the summit

While Donald Trump sets foot in Beijing for a visit presented as “historical”another battle is being played out far from the cameras: that of global industrial control. In Brussels, the meeting between the American president and Xi Jinping is fueling growing concern. Behind the diplomatic smiles, Europe fears an agreement capable of reshuffling the cards for trade, technologies and critical materials. Rare earths, supply chains, economic war: the Sino-American summit could accelerate European industrial downgrading.

Europe fears being sacrificed in the Sino-American dialogue

European officials observe Beijing summit “from behind the scenes” with the fear of becoming the big losers of a possible compromise between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. In fact, the European Union is transformed into “collateral damage” in a negotiation dominated by American and Chinese interests.

At the heart of concerns is the question of rare earths, which have become essential for electric automobiles, semiconductors, batteries and even defense industries.

European concerns concentrate around several sensitive points :

• China controls a large part of the global rare earth chain;
• German industries are already beginning to suffer from Chinese restrictions on certain critical exports;
• Brussels fears an agreement giving the United States privileged access to Chinese strategic resources;
• The European automotive, defense and advanced technology sectors appear particularly exposed;
• The European Union risks losing further influence in future global trade negotiations.

Donald Trump's visit to Beijing comes in a climate of strong global trade tension. Behind the political staging, Brussels above all fears concessions negotiated far from European eyes between the two leading world economic powers.

Beijing strengthens its lead in the global economic war

In an analysis, Thierry Breton estimated that “the great dropout has begun”. The former European commissioner describes a China now in a position of strength in the economic confrontation with the United States. He underlines that Washington has multiplied strategic errors in recent years, notably through an aggressive customs policy whose customs duties have reached nearly 18%, a level not seen since the 1930s. China, an influential member of the BRICS alliance, has taken advantage of this situation to consolidate its industrial chains, secure its supplies and circumvent certain American sanctions via third countries such as Vietnam or Mexico.

The analysis also reveals a more profound transformation in the global balance of power. The rivalry between Beijing and Washington is no longer limited to traditional trade, as it now concerns industrial infrastructure, advanced technologies and control of strategic resources. China appears to be an actor capable of imposing its pace in several key sectors, while Western economies are struggling to reduce their dependencies. Thierry Breton insists on the fact that Beijing now controls decisive levers in global competition, from critical raw materials to international logistics chains.

This diplomatic sequence could accelerate European debates on industrial and technological sovereignty. Faced with a world structured around the balance of power between Washington and Beijing, Brussels finds itself confronted with a central question: how to preserve its economic autonomy without having the same industrial and strategic levers as the two superpowers? The Beijing summit goes far beyond the framework of a simple bilateral meeting. It could mark a new stage in global economic fragmentation and in the lasting redistribution of balances of power.