EU conservative chief urges tougher China trade stance, Bild am Sonntag reports

ZURICH, June 7 (Reuters) - The head of the conservative European People's Party in the European Parliament has called for a tougher European Union trade policy towards China, warning that Beijing's industrial strength threatened parts of Europe's economy, Bild am Sonntag reported.

"The time of naivety is over," Manfred Weber told the newspaper. "We must defend European interests more clearly, more firmly and more consistently."

• Weber, a senior figure in Germany's CSU party, said the EU's trade deficit with China, which he put at almost €1 billion ($1.15 billion) a day, was no longer sustainable and endangered Europe's industrial base and high-quality jobs.

• "Either we defend ourselves, or China will flatten parts of our industry," he was quoted as saying.

• His comments come ahead of an EU summit on June 18, where leaders are expected to discuss protective trade measures prepared by the European Commission, including tariffs.

• Weber said Brussels should use China's access to the EU single market as leverage to enforce fair competition and EU standards.

• He also called for EU-funded overseas development projects not to be awarded to Chinese companies and proposed excluding China from Europe's development of 6G technology, Bild am Sonntag reported.

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(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Kim Coghill)