China warns the EU that trade ties could freeze as Brussels summit approaches amid escalating tariff tensions

China has warned the European Union that trade ties could freeze ahead of a high-level Brussels meeting, as tensions over trade policy — particularly EU tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles — continue to escalate. The warning reflects sustained friction between Beijing and Brussels over market access, technology transfer restrictions, and the EU's use of trade defence instruments. The automotive sector sits at the heart of the EU-China dispute, with EU tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles a central point of friction. Separately, Chinese-owned automotive brand Polestar is being excluded from the US market under the Trump administration's Connected Vehicles Rule, which restricts cars with Chinese-linked connected technology on US national security grounds — a unilateral American measure, not a Chinese or EU trade action, though it adds to the wider picture of geopolitical pressure on cross-border automotive supply chains. For UK and EU lawyers, the story activates trade law, regulatory compliance, and technology transfer advice across the automotive and clean energy sectors — areas where the intersection of EU trade defence rules, Chinese market access restrictions, and technology sourcing decisions creates complex multi-jurisdictional compliance obligations.