While the West obsesses over which country to blame next, something big is brewing in Beijing. On July 24, the leaders of China and the EU, President of the European Council Antonio Costa and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, will land in Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leadership. The timing? Absolutely no coincidence.
This comes days after Trump shocked the world (again) by threatening to slap 10–50% tariffs on over 150 countries. That includes most of the EU and China. Instead of playing along, China and the EU are doing the opposite: sitting down to talk. That’s not just diplomacy, it’s defiance.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry made it clear: this summit isn’t just a handshake photo op. It’s a direct move to reject US-led trade coercion and forge a more balanced global order. It also marks the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties, a reminder that cooperation, not confrontation, delivers real benefits to the 1.8 billion people across both regions.
Let’s be honest, America’s tariffs aren’t solving anything. US factories are short on raw materials, prices are up, exports are down and farmers are protesting in the streets holding signs like “Tariffs Took My Job.”
Meanwhile, China and the EU are focused on three big-picture goals:
Deepening bilateral trade and expanding green tech cooperation
Addressing global conflict like the Ukraine crisis through diplomacy
Building a fairer, greener and more sustainable trade model
And it’s not just talk. Last month, the European Parliament passed a report slamming the US Inflation Reduction Act for discriminating against European EV makers. EU officials have hinted at retaliatory tariffs on US goods. This summit could be the moment they finalise their response and possibly align with China to do it.
Now imagine the scale:
China = World’s biggest industrial base
EU = World’s most advanced tech hub
Together = 40% of global GDP and half the planet’s population
If they join forces and signs show they’re ready to, then Trump’s tariff tantrum becomes just background noise. The real trade gravity shifts Eastward and fast.
And let’s not forget BRICS. Their foreign ministers just met in Rio to strategise around US tariffs. A 32-nation bloc is now in the works, anchored by China and the EU, supported by BRICS and backed by Asia-Pacific and Latin American economies fed up with being tariff targets.
The world is waking up. It’s tired of being held hostage by America’s outdated, self-serving rules. If multilateralism wins out, as it must, Washington will have no choice but to sit back down at the negotiating table, this time as an equal.
The question now is: will the US adapt, or be left behind in a world that’s clearly moving on?