17.04.2023
Since April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Foreign Minister Berberke have visited Beijing successively. The differences in the positions of several politicians regarding EU-China policy are quite obvious. Obviously, the EU’s unified voice on China policy is still just a dream.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) “Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung” commented that while in Beijing, although German Foreign Minister Berberke tried his best to create an image of European unity, the Chinese must have different opinions on European countries’ policies toward China. It has been seen clearly. The commentary, titled “The China Problem in Europe,” reads:
“Beijing is well aware that Europeans have been hesitating and hesitant when it comes to trade-offs between economic interests, political ambitions, and strategic constraints. Many heads of government in EU member states, including the German Chancellor, seem more willing to continue the past decades of China policy: On the one hand, it has developed a large-scale trade with China, and on the other hand, out of self-esteem, it occasionally criticizes the lack of the rule of law. However, Europeans have now realized that China under Xi Jinping is no longer the same as before. The expansion of Beijing’s hegemony has forced Europeans to start rebalancing their China policies. The newly popular keyword in Brussels and Berlin is ‘De-Risking’ (De-Risking): it means reducing dependence on China, so as to reduce the impact on Europe when conflicts break out. pain of.”
The commentary pointed out that regarding the situation in the Taiwan Strait,Bell Burke also issued a clear warning to Beijing that Europe will never accept “armed reunification of Taiwan”, but she did not explain how Europe will respond at that time: protest? Sanctions? Or join the United States in military intervention?
“The strategy of so-called strategic ambiguity can only be effective when there is fear of the most aggressive response from the other side. However, Macron’s paper tiger rhetoric of keeping the United States at a distance and achieving European ‘strategic autonomy’ has deterred the deterrence of strategic ambiguity. do.As for Macron’s desire to build Europe into a “third superpower” and appear between China and the United States with a confident image, it is tantamount to idiotic dreams: after all, Europe has not met the necessary conditions so far:Without a unified diplomatic line and a corresponding decision-making mechanism, it is difficult to gain widespread social acceptance by abandoning the current priority options and undertaking costly strategic reorganization.
In view of this, how Germany and Europe position themselves in the increasingly intensified competition for global power has become an urgent question. American politicians have made no secret of their eagerness to see Europe join an anti-China coalition that includes Washington, London, Tokyo and Canberra. And once the White House changes hands, the voices urging Europe to join will only increase further. At that time, it may not only be Trump who ridiculed Macron for “flattering Xi Jinping” who threatens Europeans to deal with the war in Ukraine alone. All in all, Germany and its neighbors will face a series of difficult choices. “
“Le Monde” commented that French President Macron’s remarks that the Taiwan issue has nothing to do with Europe are extremely stupid and will only weaken the power of the Western camp. The comment reads:
“In fact, the appeasement policy implemented by Britain and France against Hitler was also replicated in East Asia. In 1937, during Japan’s war of aggression against China, it committed a brutal racist massacre in Nanjing, but the whole world turned a blind eye. In the ensuing years, the United States has also been mobilizing Japan to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels. Facts have proved that whether in Europe or Asia, the desire to negotiate and reconcile has finally come to naught.
This does not mean that a new world war will repeat itself, but it does mean that the West must arm itself to deter the imperial ambitions of Russia and China. Biden has seen the situation clearly, and it is reasonable for the United States to ask its allies to provide more help. After all, even for Washington, a war between the two sides would seem powerless. Taiwan is closely related to us, just as Ukraine is closely related to us. Anyone who denies this will surely swallow a bitter pill in East Asia, just as they swallowed the bitter pill on the Ukraine issue. “
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