EU trade chief will ask CEOs how much decoupling from China they can afford

The European Commission will ask CEOs from machinery, electrical components, automotive and chemical firms to quantify the cost they can bear for a diversification rule that forces critical imports to be sourced from at least three suppliers. Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič seeks input on the instrument’s design before drafting it, arguing that diversification costs are lower than disruption costs amid a €1 billion-daily EU trade deficit with China.