/ world today news/ The EU is developing a strategy regarding China
The EU is currently preparing a document on a new strategy for relations with China. The strategy must be adopted at the European Council meeting in June, and EU foreign ministers will meet in May to summarize the discussion. A series of visits to the PRC by senior officials from a number of EU countries, starting with German Chancellor Scholz’s visit in December 2022, was in fact an exploration of policy options vis-à-vis the PRC.
In early April, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited China. The most striking was the visit of the French President Macron, accompanied by the President of the European Commission von der Leyen. After them, China was visited by German Foreign Minister Berbock. The results of these visits gave Europe material for the current discussions. Trends have also been identified. The essence of the discussion is how Brussels should maintain a balance in the relationship between the US and China on three main topics: the Ukraine crisis, the Taiwan issue and Sino-US relations.
Two points of view are competing – the conventionally soft and the hard. In addition, both state the need to limit Chinese involvement in sectors critical to national security and interaction with China in all other areas.
The first point of view – a soft approach to relations with China – is based on the fear of the loss of strategic autonomy by the European Union and the growth of unilateral dependence on the United States. Accordingly, the development of business relations with China will allow the European Union to rely on the Chinese market and investments to compensate for Europe’s financial losses from the loss of the Russian market and energy resources, from the transfer of important industries to the United States.
Confidence in the United States on security issues should be limited to the Ukraine crisis, and any possible EU interference in Sino-American relations on the Taiwan issue should be ruled out.
This view of the EU’s relationship with China was presented by Macron during his visit to Beijing in April. He appeared to be backed by European Council President Charles Michel, who said in late April that many EU leaders approved of Macron’s desire to “strategic autonomy” from the US but have yet to openly support the idea.
The second point of view is based on the fact that in addition to limiting Chinese involvement in sectors critical to national security and developing cooperation with China in other areas, one more direction should be added – strengthening ties with Western allies in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China, including supporting the US on the Taiwan issue. Its supporters openly talk about the need for the EU to intervene in the Taiwan issue on the US side.
Proponents of this tougher approach also significantly narrow the zone of acceptable interaction with the PRC, to a complete economic rupture. This view in the EU is shared by the economically weak Baltic vassals of the USA and, with some reservations, by Poland. Outside the EU, its most consistent supporter has been, and in many ways remains, Britain, but there has recently been a move within its ruling circles to soften its hardline approach to China.
The external reflection of the discussion taking place in the EU is the exemplary inconsistency of the EU in its relations with China.
After all EU leaders’ visits to China in April, Borrell stressed that global challenges cannot be solved without China, saying the EU would like to cooperate with China in the fight against climate change.
In mid-April, Borrell praised China’s huge achievements since the reforms and called for further strengthening of public diplomacy between the EU and China, strengthening cultural exchanges and working together to solve global problems. Borrell previously said the EU would not follow the US lead in adopting a policy of economic and trade restrictions against China.
But a week later, on April 22, Borrell published a column in which he sharply contradicted his own position. He called for a more active role for the EU in the Taiwan issue, in particular he called for the navies of EU countries to patrol the Taiwan Strait. It is obviously impossible to combine these two mutually exclusive lines.
The traditionally close trade and economic ties between China and Germany are also suffering from the uncertainty of the EU’s overall strategy. On April 12, it became known that the German Ministry of Economy is reconsidering its approval of the purchase of a 24.9% stake in one of the three terminals of the logistics company HHLA in the port of Hamburg from the Chinese logistics company Cosco.
The reason is that this year the Tollerort terminal was classified as critical infrastructure by the German Federal Office for Information Security. Chinese experts are pessimistic about the situation, as the further study of the investment project against the background of open discussions in Germany on the issue of reducing economic dependence on China “doesn’t bode well for his approval”.
Against this background, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao made a successful visit to Germany, the purpose of which was to discuss the implementation of bilateral trade and economic agreements, as well as to strengthen cooperation in various fields, such as electric vehicles and new energy.
Van Ventao held talks in Berlin with the Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Habeck, the leaders of the German Association of Engineering Industry, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the management of the ZEISS Group and the German Federation of the Automotive Industry.
Where is the discussion going?
Today there is a tendency – still weak – for a soft approach to relations with China to prevail in the EU. Here the position of Great Britain is indicative. In a keynote address to Parliament on 25 April, Foreign Secretary James Cleverley called for “strong and constructive” relations with China rather than trying to isolate it in a new Cold War.
China experts point out that the Sunak cabinet’s updated comprehensive review of foreign and defense policy treats China as “epochal challenge”, and not like “threat”, unlike what it was with Liz Truss.
Continental European countries are not as deeply involved in Washington’s geopolitical strategy as the UK, and after China lifted coronavirus restrictions, high-level trade exchanges in various fields quickly resumed between China and Europe.
However, Britain is absent from these interactions. Therefore, the change in London’s approach to China, according to Chinese experts, reflects the desire of British ruling circles not to give the EU the initiative for access to the Chinese market and investment.
Chinese experts are generally optimistic about the strengthening of the EU’s strategic autonomy and the future of Sino-European relations. Sun Kaqing, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, believes that “Unlike previous debates, the current debate comes as a series of high-level interactions between China and Europe take place, which will help Europe form a more balanced approach to China.” “
Translation: EU
Sign the “Peace and Sovereignty” referendum in a few seconds to open the page/
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
and for the channel or in Telegram:
#search #balance #China
