The European Union (EU) has slammed China for allowing the production of inflatable dinghies used by smugglers to bring migrants to Europe.

Brussels urged the East Asian superpower to clamp down on the sale of the rubber boats, as figures estimate 1.4 million migrants have made their way to Europe since 2015 in a crisis that shows no sign of slowing. Since the beginning of 2017 alone, 38,000 migrants have arrived in Italy from Libya — an increase of 43 per cent from the same period in 2016.

Speaking at a press conference, EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “China can help and support the EU in its fight against migrant smugglers.

“The rubber boats used by smuggler networks in the Mediterranean are fabricated somewhere in China.”

“I requested the support and cooperation from the Chinese authorities in order to track down this business and dismantle it, because what they produce is not serving the common good of the country.

“It is a very dangerous tool in the hands of ruthless smugglers,” he added. The comments followed a meeting with China’s public security minister Guo Shengkun.

Italian authorities recently accused charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of operating rescue missions in the Mediterranean of “colluding” with criminal people-smugglers to bring migrants to Europe.

Prosecutor Carmelo Zuccaro told La Stampa that phone calls were being made from Libya to NGO vessels offshore, helping smugglers complete the final leg of the journey in a billion-dollar European smuggling operation.

Several of the NGOs have financial ties to globalist billionaire George Soros, who has openly admitted that his goal is to bring down Europe’s borders.

The Hungarian financier’s Open Society Foundations has provided funding to Médicins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) and Save the Children, whilst the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) receives major support from Avaaz.org, the European branch of the Soros-founded organisation Moveon.org.