EU confronts ‘China shock’ ahead of pivotal Brussels trade talks

European Union leaders had a week to bask in their rare, relatively united stance on China policy before news broke to remind them of the urgency of their task: German car giant Volkswagen was reportedly planning up to 100,000 job cuts in the face of cutthroat Chinese competition.

Seven days previously at a European Council summit in Brussels, leaders from the EU’s 27 member states had instructed the European Commission to accelerate its efforts to fight back against what is seen as a damaging...