Merkel Siding with China against the E.U.: Federalism Imploding?

In May 2013, German Chancellor Angela Merkel interjected herself into the brewing trade conflict between the E.U. and China. At issue was the European Commission’s proposal to impose import tariffs on some Chinese solar and telecommunications products in response to suspected dumping by China. Merkel’s involvement involves a conflict of interest for her and exploits a vulnerability in the E.U.’s federal system.

Although the flags of the E.U. and China both have stars, the E.U. has a federal system while China is centrally governed.  Both forms of government have drawbacks, but at the "empire level," federalism usually works better than a central government, given the expanse.   Source: ipolitics.ca

The full essay is at Essays on the E.U. Political Economy, available at Amazon.