China questions EU's trade diversification as 'just another version of protectionism'

China on Monday questioned the EU's push for trade diversification as "just another version of protectionism."

"The so-called European diversification, isn't it just another version of protectionism?" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a regular news conference in Beijing.

"The European measures cannot make the European industry more competitive, and this certainly goes against the EU's own stated principles of market economy, fair competition, and free trade," he said, adding a Chinese adage: "Do not do unto others what you would not have others do unto you."

China-EU trade is not a "zero-sum game," and there is "no reason why China and the EU cannot succeed together," Lin said, expressing hope that the EU will cooperate with China to "find solutions through dialogue and consultation and let the business communities and people on both sides to benefit even more from China-EU trade."

The EU has recently been advancing a proposal requiring companies to lower overreliance in their supply chains as part of an effort to adjust its trade relationship with China.

The China-EU bilateral trade volume totaled €759 billion ($874 billion) in 2025. China is the EU's third-largest trading partner in goods and services.