French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have asked the European Commission to create a new legal instrument that would let the EU retaliate within days in a trade conflict, including by cutting access to the single market, according to a letter seen by AFP. The letter does not name China, but it was sent shortly before the EU trade commissioner travels to Beijing; the EU's goods deficit with China reached about 360 billion euros last year, and Europe relies heavily on Chinese critical raw materials. Under the proposal, the Commission could act without approval from all 27 member states, though a weighted majority could block it, and Macron and Merz are expected to present the idea at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels next week.