There are no dramatic developments here, but it is another data point -- similar to something I flagged earlier -- in the EU's ability to toughen up its soft power approach in order to more strategically defend its interests:
Europe's top trade official has signaled his intention to create a new retaliatory trade tool, amid ongoing complaints from European businesses that they are being excluded from Chinese public contracts.
I think of the EU's strategic potential in the same terms as YouTube and Twitter's revenue potential: tons of upside if they only figure out how to "monetize" the connectivity they offer.