EU faces 300,000 factory job cuts as China ‘colonises’ supply chains, industry warns

Job losses in EU manufacturing will rapidly increase unless Brussels stops the “colonisation” of industry by Chinese component manufacturers, a leading industry trade body has warned. Eurometal predicts 300,000 job losses in manufacturing in the rest of 2026 because of expanding competition from China, which is now enjoying a record €1bn-a-day trade surplus with the bloc. On Monday, Eurometal will bring its concerns to decision-makers in Brussels, staging a protest using 10 symbolic coffins in a procession around the European Commission headquarters. The coffins will be marked with phrases such as “EU competitiveness”, “industrial jobs” and “European factories”. European manufacturers…