Translated by Claude, edited by Sinocism.com

The EU Thinks It Has Learned to "Manufacture Its Own Cards to Play"? I Talked With People Close to China-EU Relations

欧盟自认为学会了“造牌”？我和中欧相关人士聊了聊

Source: Yuyuan Tantian 玉渊谭天 | Author: Tan Zhu 谭主 | June 27, 2026

The EU is destroying with its own hands the very thing it wants most.

欧盟正在亲手毁掉自己最想要的东西。

Since the start of June, the EU has lashed out three times in a single week, with a concentration of firepower rarely seen in recent years: from von der Leyen declaring she would use the toolbox "more strategically," to Lagarde calling for discussion of an "undervalued renminbi," to plans taking shape for a new round of tariffs on Chinese plug-in hybrid vehicles.

进入6月后，从冯德莱恩宣称要“更具战略性”地使用工具箱，到拉加德呼吁讨论“人民币低估”，再到酝酿对中国插电式混动汽车加征新一轮关税——欧盟一周之内三次发难，火力之密集近年罕见。

Over the past two years, Tan Zhu has been tracking the trajectory of China-EU economic and trade relations.

过去两年，谭主一直在跟踪中欧经贸关系走向。

Since last year there had at one point been signs of a thaw: on the China-EU electric vehicle case, the two sides' technical-level negotiations were essentially complete, and broad consensus had been reached on a price-undertaking framework.

去年以来，双方一度出现了缓和迹象：围绕中欧电动汽车案，双方的技术层面谈判基本完成，就价格承诺框架安排达成广泛共识。

And now the European side has turned on a dime and ratcheted up trade-protectionist policy across the board. What is it thinking?

而现在，欧方翻脸不认人，贸易保护主义政策全面加码，到底怎么想的？

To answer that, Tan Zhu conducted some field research and offers three assessments.

为此，谭主做了项调研，提供3点研判。

[ Field Research ]

「 调查研究 」

Not long ago, the EU organized a high-level forum on the direction of China-EU relations, bringing together officials, scholars, and business representatives from both sides for exchanges.