EU eyes softening approach toward China at Brussels summit: Politico

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Politico
29 Jun 2023 22:32

How to deal with Beijing is a difficult matter for European leaders due to being under pressure from Washington to shield their economy from China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (AP)

European diplomats are expected to ease tensions with China at a summit in Brussels, Politico reported.

The subject of how to handle the long-term rivalry with the economic Asian giant might appear one that the European leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday would rather put off, according to Politico.

EU leaders are still deciding how far to go in terminating sensitive commercial connections with Beijing, fearing a similar scenario to that which happened with Russia.

According to observations from an Eastern European official, some Western governments tried to water down an "already boring" draft statement to ensure they “wouldn’t piss off China.”

The newspaper goes on to say that the question of how to deal with Beijing is a difficult matter for European leaders due to being under pressure from Washington to shield their economy from China. EU firms also rely on China for €230 billion in annual exports.

Germany is hesitant about upsetting its large commercial interests in China, while France is apprehensive of adopting the US strategy, which has been to increase pressure on Beijing while limiting Western exposure to Chinese dominance over crucial supply chains.

However, there are hints that ties between Western nations and China have been warming in recent weeks.

Last week, Berlin and Paris received Xi's new right-hand man, Premier Li Qiang, on his first overseas visit, giving him a platform to criticize the EU's de-risking plan.

In the days running up to the European Council summit, a consensus was gradually forming in favor of maintaining diplomatic peace with Beijing, at least for the time being.

The most recent version of the end-of-summit closing statement, obtained by Politico on Wednesday, was less hostile to Beijing than previous statements from Brussels.

Regarding China-Russia relations, the latest draught stated that EU leaders should “press Russia to stop its war of aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine.”

However, it is cautious not to be overly critical in general. “The European Union and China have a shared interest in pursuing constructive and stable relations,” according to the text.

“If EU leaders spend hours haggling over this text at the European Council, it would show disunity over China," one diplomat said.

European Council President Charles Michel and his staff have reportedly criticized Von der Leyen's stronger China stance. He is writing the summit conclusions, and some believe that the draft is Michel's response to von der Leyen's more forceful economic security strategy.

One official stated that “we now have a major problem where the European Commission president listens to the United States and the European Council president listens to China,” adding that “it’s not new, but increasingly the Schuman area is a playground instead of leveling the playing field with China."

Marcin Przychodniak, a China specialist at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, expressed that some EU nations want to have their own stance on China, independent of the US.

“They — supported by Charles Michel — are tired of decoupling from Russia and wishfully think [a softer stance] may buy them time in case of China.” EU leaders “may also not want to corner China on Russia, especially after recent events with Wagner group — but that is a false expectation.”