{"text":[[{"start":7.5,"text":"The EU has delayed a trade confrontation with China at a summit that exposed divisions within the bloc over how to deal with cheap imports from Beijing that have eroded European industrial output and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs."}],[{"start":22.9,"text":"Despite combative rhetoric in the lead-up to the Brussels meeting, the 27 leaders opted for dialogue rather than immediate action to deal with what they called “global macroeconomic imbalances”. "}],[{"start":34.8,"text":"The leaders called for a “European response based on two pillars: European unity and dialogue with our main economic partners”, an EU official said."}],[{"start":43.849999999999994,"text":"European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen laid out a stark economic picture over dinner on Thursday that showed falling EU exports and rising Chinese imports, with a goods trade deficit that has hit €1bn a day. She pushed for new tools to tackle the problem."}],[{"start":60.599999999999994,"text":"The official said the leaders instructed von der Leyen to “continue engaging in a constructive dialogue with our main economic partners”, emphasising “that dialogue needs to provide results”. "}],[{"start":71.89999999999999,"text":"Second, she should “develop and eventually complement the toolbox in the area of trade defence and industrial policy”, they said."}],[{"start":78.99999999999999,"text":"As the summit began, von der Leyen’s European People’s Party, the centre-right group that is the EU’s largest, said it would “not accept China’s unfair market intervention” and called on the Commission to upgrade its “existing trade defence tools”."}],[{"start":93.29999999999998,"text":"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, von der Leyen and 10 other leaders signed the statement, which demanded the EU “stop naivety towards the long-term ambitions of China”."}],[{"start":104.14999999999998,"text":"Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands this week called for new tools that would raise tariffs and quotas and oblige companies to find alternative sources of critical inputs after China restricted exports of some rare earths used to make products such as cars and wind turbines."}],[{"start":123.39999999999998,"text":"However, Spain opposed any new measures, according to a government official, and Merz was more circumspect during the dinner debate."}],[{"start":130.7,"text":"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters when arriving at the summit that China is a “potential ally”."}],[{"start":137.89999999999998,"text":"“We are still far from an agreement on new instruments. Talks are just not matured yet,” said one EU government official."}],[{"start":145.2,"text":"“Back in November, we were talking about how the China situation was intolerable and how we had to take action,” said a senior EU diplomat involved in the summit. “And here we are again, talking about the same thing.”"}],[{"start":158.39999999999998,"text":"“Leaders gave the Commission a clear mandate to develop additional trade defence instruments to protect its markets against subsidised imports,” said a second EU diplomat."}],[{"start":168.89999999999998,"text":"Several diplomats told the FT that some member states preferred to reduce reliance on China before imposing tariffs over fears of retaliation. After the EU put tariffs on Chinese EV imports, Beijing imposed levies on EU food and wine products."}],[{"start":184.59999999999997,"text":"Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo asked the Commission to draw up a roadmap of vulnerable areas and how to reduce dependencies."}],[{"start":192.34999999999997,"text":"“We have manoeuvred ourselves into a situation, maybe because of naivety, maybe because we were too comfortable . . . where we need to get out of this hole that we dug ourselves into,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told the FT. “The EU needs to have a strategic reorientation.”"}],[{"start":211.14999999999998,"text":"He added: “It’s clear to us every action will provoke a reaction, and it has to be a reaction that the European Union will be able to deal with.”"}],[{"start":226.54999999999998,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1781840865_7686.mp3"}