At the 2026 Paris International Motor Show, Chinese automakers turned out in record numbers, displaying unprecedented scale, strength and mature confidence. Yet a scene outside the venue was thought-provoking.
Media reported that on the sidelines of the show, the Elysee Palace hosted a high-profile dinner that pointedly excluded Chinese carmakers who had traveled far to attend — a gesture that seems at odds with the romantic, inclusive image France likes to project.
The ambivalence of some European politicians toward China's auto industry is evident. Li Yuqi, an assistant researcher at Renmin University of China's Academy of Regional and Country Studies, said European politicians have repeatedly made an issue of the China-EU trade deficit in recent years, and a series of zero-sum statements and actions deviate seriously from international trade rules.
Li noted that history has repeatedly proven that pressuring China on matters of principle amounts to lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet. Only by abandoning unilateralist obsessions, facing up to its own industrial competitiveness and returning to rational, pragmatic cooperation can the EU work with China to create growth and prosperity in an uncertain world.
At this year's Paris show, 16 Chinese automakers exhibited 25 brands — about 40% of all exhibiting brands, roughly equal to the total number of European brands. Several new Chinese models made their European debuts, with showcases of innovations in power batteries, ultra-fast charging, intelligent driving and AI.
Yet two 'petty' moves by the French side stood in stark contrast to their professed 'great-power ambitions'. On the eve of the show, the Elysee Palace held a high-level dinner gathering some 60 European auto companies but explicitly kept Chinese firms out; the presidential palace even noted that 'no Chinese exhibitors attended the dinner'.
During the show, President Macron toured French domestic auto stands, stressing 'Europe first' and setting three priorities for the industry: electrification, 'Europe first', and innovation and technological sovereignty. He said France would soon reach an agreement with Germany to defend the 'European content' of cars and boost European competitiveness.
Some European media even blamed China directly, claiming Macron's move aimed to 'reassure European manufacturers against Chinese competition'. But European consumers ultimately value products, prices and service — Europe's competitive predicament cannot be solved by one dinner, a few statements, or crudely shifting blame onto China.
Li noted European politicians have repeatedly hyped the China-EU trade deficit, with European Commission President von der Leyen exaggerating it as a 1-billion-euro daily imbalance — a deliberate 'selective blindness' that reduces complex value-chain divisions to a single trade figure.
Attributing the so-called deficit to 'Chinese industrial subsidies' and 'unfair competition' does not hold up academically or legally. 'Rather than reflecting on why its industries lost competitiveness, the EU pushes responsibility onto its trading partner — the most typical blame-shifting logic in contemporary international trade,' Li said.
China-EU economic and trade relations should be mutually beneficial rather than zero-sum. 'The two sides share deeply aligned interests in green transition, the digital economy and global supply chain stability.'
The figures speak for themselves: total China-EU trade reached $828.11 billion in 2025. China is the EU's fourth-largest export market and largest source of imports; the EU is China's second-largest export market and second-largest source of imports.
Chinese automakers are also accelerating local production in Europe: ten European localization projects have been announced since September 2023. BYD is building its first NEV passenger-car plant in Szeged, Hungary, and SAIC will build its first European EV plant in Galicia, Spain.
Notably, the second meeting of the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultation Mechanism was held in Beijing on October 8-9, where the two sides reached an understanding on hybrid vehicle trade in line with WTO rules.
'History has repeatedly proven that pressuring China on matters of principle amounts to lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet,' Li said. 'Only by letting go of unilateralism, facing its own competitiveness problems and returning to rational, pragmatic cooperation can the EU create growth and prosperity together with China in an uncertain world.'
