Why a ‘killer switch’ to tackle Europe’s trade issues with China may not be so straightforward

[BRUSSELS] European Union leaders ended their summit in the late hours of Oct 16 with no deal on the Union’s future budget, but with a new and surprisingly strong resolve to adopt new defence tools to tackle a ballooning trade deficit with China. Heads of state and government of the EU’s 27 member-nations approved a trade deal concluded in Beijing earlier in October, under which China voluntarily agreed to cut by almost half its exports of electric vehicles to Europe. But the member-states still deemed this Chinese concession insufficient in addressing bigger trade questions, and they authorised the European Commission,…