EU faces 300,000 factory job cuts as China ‘colonises’ supply chains, industry warns
Industry trade body Eurometal warns that the European manufacturing sector faces 300,000 job losses due to aggressive competition from Chinese component manufacturers. The group is calling for stronger EU intervention to protect domestic supply chains.
Why it matters
It underscores the growing economic tension between the EU and China regarding industrial sovereignty and the stability of European manufacturing jobs.
A steelworker in Germany. In June the EU introduced higher tariffs on imports of foreign steel. A steelworker in Germany. In June the EU introduced higher tariffs on imports of foreign steel. Manufacturing sector EU faces 300,000 factory job cuts as China ‘colonises’ supply chains, industry warns Protest using 10 coffins to symbolise struggling manufacturing industry to take place in Brussels
Prefer the Guardian on Google Job losses in EU manufacturing will rapidly increase unless Brussels stops the “colonisation” of industry by Chinese component manufacturers, a leading industry trade body has warned.
Eurometal predicts 300,000 job losses in manufacturing in the rest of 2026 because of expanding competition from China, which is now enjoying a record €1bn-a-day trade surplus with the bloc.
On Monday, Eurometal will bring its concerns to decision-makers in Brussels, staging a protest using 10 symbolic coffins in a procession around the European Commission headquarters.
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