/View.info/ Sino-European relations and the multipolar world
The April 5-7 visits to China by French President Macron and European Commission President von der Leyen, as well as Scholz’s visit in December 2022, show the EU’s interest in strengthening trade relations with China and access to the Chinese market. This interest grows stronger as the US tries to sever Sino-European political, trade and economic ties.
In a situation where the United States is attracting powerful European companies with a special set of government measures, China’s importance to the EU grows even more. China now remains the only major market and source of investment for the EU. And for China, even a partial loss of the European market would be sensitive. A deterioration in relations between China and the EU, with a trade turnover of around $800 billion, would weaken both countries.
The outcome of the talks between Macron and von der Leyen with the Chinese side shows that the strong Sino-European economic interdependence is currently protecting France, as well as the EU as a whole, from breaking with China. Washington has not yet succeeded in discouraging Europe and China.
In the meetings with Macron and von der Leyen, the Chinese side pointed to the need for Europe’s strategic autonomy as a prerequisite for sustainable and mutually beneficial Sino-European relations. In other words, if the Europeans speak with the voice of Washington, the problems in Sino-European relations will multiply.
The context and outcome of the European leaders’ visit to China show that the French president and the European Commission president seem to have come to China with different agendas and have different approaches to China-related topics.
The French president came primarily to develop bilateral relations and was more positive than US, NATO and EU leaders about China’s 12-point position on a negotiated end to the Ukraine crisis. On the contrary, von der Leyen “is more of a hawkish figure pushing for an escalation of the conflict” .
She made a critical assessment of China’s position in the Ukrainian crisis and was more concerned about this issue. In addition, the President of the European Commission repeats the anti-China rhetoric of the US on the issue of Taiwan and China’s domestic policy.
The disagreements between the French president and the president of the European Commission have raised the question of whether European leaders can maintain a balance between trade and geopolitics in relations with China.
As for the President of France, his visit was planned precisely for the purpose of settling trade and economic issues with China and promoting French interests in the Chinese market. The Ukrainian issue went with Macron as an appendage to the main economic agenda.
It is symptomatic that the French president was accompanied during his visit to China by a delegation of fifty CEOs of leading French industrial companies, including senior executives of the French energy giant EDF, the railway manufacturer Alstom, the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, etc.
Speaking to the French community in Beijing upon his arrival in China, Macron reiterated that France will not “distinguish from China” and at that “will actively continue to maintain trade relations with China“, which is contrary to the expectations and plans of the United States.
During the bilateral talks, issues of further economic cooperation in areas such as aviation, nuclear power and new energy, agriculture and food production, science and technology, sustainable development and culture were discussed. At the end of the talks, documents on bilateral cooperation in these areas were signed in the presence of Xi and Macron.
Wei Jianguo, Vice Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchange and former Minister of Commerce of the PRC, expressed the Chinese side’s expectations for the further development of cooperation with France after the visit.
Sino-French bilateral trade could reach $100 billion within two to three years, up from $81 billion last year, he said. China and France will also strengthen cooperation in third country markets, especially in Africa.
As for the Ukrainian issue, it did not play a significant role in the agenda of Macron’s visit to China, and moreover, it will not be decisive in Sino-European relations in the future, which is confirmed by a number of characteristic details of the negotiations.
Thus, at the tripartite meeting with the President of France and the President of the European Commission, the President of China emphasized that the crisis in Ukraine is not a problem between China and the EU, with which the European representatives agreed. They also agreed that China did not create the crisis in Ukraine.
Macron and von der Leyen said they appreciated China’s efforts to promote a political settlement and hoped China would play a bigger role. The European visitors were quite pleased with the Chinese side’s promise to continue to play a positive role in facilitating peace talks and to contact the head of the Kyiv regime Zelensky, “as soon as the conditions for it arise.”
This is telling, because on the eve of the visit, Macron showed, or perhaps mimicked to Washington, his readiness to solve the Ukrainian issue at a meeting with Xi Jinping, promised to persuade the Chinese side to put pressure on Russia so that Moscow agrees to end the SVO . In the case of Macron, it is doubtful that he considers this task feasible.
Therefore, judging by the fact that the leaders of China and France signed a joint statement after the visit and the abundance of agreements in the trade and economic field, the Ukrainian issue did not affect the success of the Sino-French negotiations.
In a general assessment of the results of the visit of Macron and von der Leyen, Chinese experts agree that it “not only led to fruitful business deals in the fields of transportation, energy, agriculture, culture and science, but also served as a guide for the future direction of Sino-French and Sino-European relations as leaders from both sides sought a more intelligent a way to co-exist in the post-pandemic era and crisis in Ukraine, despite differences and competition. “
The diplomatic activity of the EU countries in the Chinese direction continues to grow. The visit of the President of France and the President of the European Commission to China followed the visit of the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock is expected to visit China in mid-April.
China believes that the development of Sino-European relations works to strengthen the multipolar world, as it means the failure of US attempts to weaken China and finally subjugate Europe. Germany fought to the last for Nord Stream 2 until the US blew it up. And the question arises, what and when are they ready to “blow up” the USA in order to quarrel Europe with China?
Translation: EU
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