European Economic Security between the USA and China

Between October and January 2026, the main developments in relations between the European Union (EU) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) mainly concerned economic security issues: the Nexperia case highlighted that the EU cannot afford to lose internal production capacity, and the update of the European Strategy for economic security reveals the willingness to harmonize existing instruments through a more coordinated action also on strategic dependencies such as critical raw materials. The bilateral visits held during this period have not contributed significantly to the improvement of EU-China relations, which remain at a standstill. The attempt to redefine European countervailing duties on Chinese battery-powered electric vehicles remains one of the few signs of relaxation, even if 2026 looks like a turbulent year.