BRUSSELS — Virtually no one in Europe wants President Trump to plunge headlong into a trade war with China. But nearly everyone thinks that it is time to stand up to China’s closed markets and trade manipulation.

The European Union may not like Mr. Trump or the way he is doing things — but that does not mean it dislikes his aims when it comes to trading with China.

But Europe would also like the conflict to go away, fearing the bloc will be caught between the United States, its primary market and second-largest supplier, and China, its primary supplier and second-largest market.

The way to make that happen, it believes, is challenging China through negotiations within the existing trading system, avoiding a degenerative tit-for-tat battle that could harm Europe’s relatively vibrant economy.