Trump-Xi Meeting: US De-Risking, EU Exposure

While the US has successfully slashed its import dependence on China to 9%, the EU remains stuck at over 22%, facing a complex economic dilemma regarding its green transition and industrial base.

Key Takeaways

• 1.The US has significantly reduced its import dependency on China from over 21% in 2018 to roughly 9% in early 2026, reaching levels not seen since China's WTO accession.
• 2.The EU remains heavily dependent on China, which accounted for over 22% of extra-EU imports in early 2026, making the EU's de-risking effort far more difficult and costly than the US's.
• 3.A breakdown in the US-China trade truce could lead to China redirecting excess production toward Europe and using rare-earth export controls as leverage.

Table of Contents

• Trump-Xi meeting: US de-risking, EU exposure
• DIVERGING US AND EU EXPOSURE
• THE CONTEXT
• THE DATA
• OUR VIEW
• Author
• Editors
• Legal Notices

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