Von Der Leyen says Europe should defend its economies against subsidised Chinese products

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during the Chinese leader's state visit to France. Photo: Reuters

William Horobin, Samy Adghirni and Li Liu

The European Union is prepared to deploy all the tools available to defend its economies if China fails to offer fair access to its markets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after talks with Xi Jinping in Paris.

She added that heavily subsidised Chinese products such as electric vehicles and steel are flooding Europe, and said the world cannot absorb China's surplus production.