The Ultimate Target: Are US Tariffs Really Aimed at China or EU Manufacturing?

While ostensibly aimed at China, the continued expansion and refinement of the US steel tariff regime is raising a critical question in Europe: is the EU’s advanced manufacturing sector the real, or at least a primary, target? The “derivative” products list, in particular, seems precision-engineered to hit Europe’s industrial strengths.
The original policy was a blunt instrument against Chinese overproduction. However, the “derivative” list is much more sophisticated. It includes high-value, complex goods where European companies, not Chinese ones, are the global leaders: items like German motorcycles, Scandinavian wind turbines, and Italian heavy machinery.
The logic of “circumvention” is used as the justification, but the practical effect is to put Europe’s most competitive export sectors at a disadvantage in the US market. By creating a chaotic and costly compliance environment, the policy acts as a powerful non-tariff barrier against high-quality European manufactured goods.
This has led to a growing suspicion that the policy has a dual purpose. While containing China remains a stated goal, the tariffs also serve to protect a wider range of American industries from their toughest competitors, who are often based in the EU.
If this is the case, it represents a much more direct and confrontational geoeconomic strategy. It would mean the US is not just trying to shield its steel mills but is actively working to undermine the competitiveness of the EU’s entire manufacturing base, a far more serious challenge to the transatlantic relationship.