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Every day, giant container ships arrive in Europe from China, packed with electric cars,

batteries for e-bikes and scooters, solar panels, kitchen appliances, smartphones, cheap toys, clothing,

etc. Billions and billions of euros of products flowing into European ports.

And then many of those containers leave Europe again, carrying air.

In Brussels, those ships are increasingly becoming a symbol of something much bigger.

A growing fear that Europe may be turning from an industrial powerhouse into a dumping

ground for Chinese-made products.

That fear is changing the way Europe talks about Beijing.

For years, Brussels described China as simultaneously a partner, a competitor, and a systemic rival.

But lately, it's the systemic rival part that's taking over the conversation.

This episode drops on the very day the European Commission is holding a major internal

debate on China, asking what do those ships mean for Europe's economy, its industries, and its future.

Officials inside the commission have been quietly working on new possible ways to push back,

against what the EU sees as China flooding global markets, undercutting European companies,

and using economic pressure as a geopolitical tool.

In mid-June, EU leaders are expected to take the same debate to a summit in Brussels.

And look, the anxiety behind this is all becoming harder to ignore.

The ships from China don't just carry cheap products.

They also carry pressure on European

...