BRUSSELS, October 8 — The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee report on EU-China relations, which Italy’s Democratic Party chose to abstain from supporting, reflects a growing consensus in Brussels to view China not only as an economic partner but also as a geopolitical actor affecting European security and industrial competitiveness. The story begins with a vote that exposed deep fractures within Italy’s centre-left, even as it signalled a broader shift in how the European Parliament approaches its most consequential trading partner.
What unfolded in the committee room was less a simple endorsement or rejection and more a negotiation of competing priorities. The report, drafted by the AFET committee, moves beyond trade to address concerns over China’s industrial overcapacity, unfair competition, and implications for European security.
Italy’s PD abstention followed the broader line of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, which sought to maintain a balanced posture by acknowledging economic imbalances and human rights concerns while avoiding a fully confrontational approach that could harm diplomatic and commercial channels with Beijing. At its heart, the division revealed a struggle over how to respond to China’s rise without sacrificing either principle or prosperity.
A significant split emerged within the Italian centre-left: MEPs Elisabetta Gualmini, Irene Tinagli, and Pina Picierno of Renew Europe voted in favour of the report, aligning with Italian MEPs from the ECR and EPP groups. Meanwhile, Italy’s other opposition forces divided, with AVS abstaining and the Five Star Movement voting against, alongside the alt-right party Futuro Nazionale.
Alberico Gambino, an MEP from Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy/ECR and vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the PD’s stance, suggesting it indicated a lack of concern for Europe’s interests relative to China’s. He emphasized the need for dialogue with China but warned against submission to rules that disproportionately harm European businesses, citing an EU-China trade deficit exceeding €360 billion annually.
Gambino argued the goal should be for Europe to stand on equal footing with the United States and China in global forums while protecting its economic base and industrial capacity. The vote underscores a broader shift in the European Parliament toward treating China as a matter of economic, industrial, and geopolitical security, not merely a commercial issue, even as the report itself is non-binding. The economic backdrop includes Brussels’ reassessment of tools to counter distortions from Chinese industrial overcapacity and uneven playing field conditions in the EU market.
For those involved, the stakes are clear: how to defend European interests in an era of systemic rivalry without closing the door on engagement. Looking ahead, the focus will turn to how the European Commission translates this parliamentary sentiment into concrete policy, particularly regarding subsidies, market access, and technology transfers.
The coming months will test whether the Parliament’s evolving stance can forge a unified European approach that is both principled and pragmatic in the face of Beijing’s growing global influence.
