With the non-paper aimed at trade with China, Paris and Berlin at last gave the European Commission the support it needed in its negotiations with Beijing. The next few months will show whether the trajectory of EU-China trade is really changing.

Europeans seem reluctant to implement trade measures against China, for fear of a trade war. They need to think hard about what they want to achieve.

Secure supply chains for chemicals are as important for European security as for critical minerals. The EU needs to take this more seriously.

Closer cooperation with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would provide an answer to the problems the EU is facing.