SOAPBOX
SOAPBOX provides insights on EU-China trade. The weekly newsletter, compiled by Rafael Jimenez Buendía and Ilaria Perla, is published in collaboration with the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 176 | Founded | 4 years ago | Last Issue | 9 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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soapboxtrade.substack.comLatest Issues
The EU is China’s battery export market
Against a backdrop of rising EU-China trade tensions, Li-ion batteries show a dependence that runs in both directions. The EU relies heavily on Chinese batteries, but China’s battery export machine also leans heavily on the EU. This is not...
The EU cannot chase China one product at a time
Product-specific tariffs can stop one flow, but not necessarily the wider export push behind it. China’s manufacturing system is present at many points of the same value chain.
That is why a narrow tariff can miss the wider problem. Electr...
EU trade with China deteriorates further in Q1
EU exports to China fell 7.5% year on year, while imports from China rose 2% in the first quarter of this year, pushing the quarterly deficit close to €95bn, or more than €1bn a day.
Almost every EU member state ran a deficit with Chi...
China’s surplus eases, but still runs at trillion-dollar scale
China’s goods surplus is down 5.3% year on year in Jan-Apr, partly because exports to the U.S. fell by 10%. Annualised, the Jan-Apr surplus still points to around US$1.1tn in 2026.
China’s import growth does not look consumer-led
Chi...
China’s export surge puts EU trade defence in the spotlight
China’s exports to the EU hit a record
The first four months of 2026 show how unbalanced the relationship has become. China’s exports to the EU reached US$201bn, while its imports from the EU were only US$88bn. The result was a US$113...
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Weekly dose of China trade insights – with a focus on EU-China trade. Produced in collaboration with Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).
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