European Union leaders jointly expressed their concern on Friday regarding the economy’s dependence on China which has left German chancellor Olaf Scholz facing questions over his upcoming trip to China along together with business executives.
Beware of the dependence on gas created by Russia which Moscow has abused numerous EU leaders have said they need a unison and more aggressive attitude toward China.
Since the year 2019, it has been a year since the EU recognized China as an economic competitor and as an adversary in the system.
The European Union’s foreign policy office has stated in the paper that was prepared for the summit of leaders this week that Beijing is now to be viewed as primarily an adversary that promotes “an alternative view of the global order”.
The call for tweaking is occurring in the midst of Germany’s government considering whether to allow Chinese state-owned shipping firm Cosco to acquire part in the Hamburg ports terminal.
The reaction of the government that is divided over the issue can be taken as a measure of the extent to which it is willing to enlarge its position towards its biggest trading partner.
Scholz has been under opposition from other EU nations over his opposition to a cap on gas prices and a 200 billion euros ($196 billion) package to protect German businesses and consumers from price hikes in energy.
Scholz said on Friday the proposed sale was only about the stake in a terminal, and not a majority stake in an entire port as Cosco is currently holding in Piraeus.
He also stated that he was a part of the EU’s categorization of three parts for China. Scholz will be traveling to China beginning in November, according to his spokesperson. When asked about the reason business executives are also on the road, Scholz said they had always taken trips to China.
EU seeks a common front on China dependence as Germany plans a trip
The city of Brussels, on the 21st of October (Reuters) — European Union leaders jointly expressed concerns on Friday over the economic dependence on China and left German chancellor Olaf Scholz facing questions over his upcoming trip to China along together with business leaders.
Conscient of the gas dependency that has been built up with Russia which Moscow has abused Many EU leaders have said they need to take a more united and firm attitude toward China.
Since the year 2019 in 2019, the EU has recognized China as a partner, economic rival, and adversary in the system.
The European Union’s foreign policy office stated in the paper that was prepared for this week’s summit of the leaders that Beijing should be viewed as primarily an adversary that promotes “an alternative view of the global order”.
The call for tweaking is happening in the midst of Germany’s government considering whether to allow Chinese state-owned shipping company, Cosco, to acquire an interest in the Hamburg Port Terminal.
The reaction of the government that is divided over the issue is considered to be a sign of whether it will go to strengthen its position towards its biggest trading partner.
Scholz has been under criticism from other EU countries for his opposition to a cap on gas prices and a 200 billion euros ($196 billion) package to protect German businesses and consumers from the soaring cost of energy.
Scholz stated on Friday that the sale could only be about the stake in a terminal but not a majority stake in the entire port like Cosco owns in Piraeus.
He also stated that he was a part of the EU’s categorization of three parts for China. Scholz will be traveling to China at the beginning of November, his spokesperson told. When asked about the reason business executives are also on the road, Scholz said they had always been on trips like this.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said leaders did not talk about Hamburg port but they did talk about crucial infrastructure. She said it is not a good idea to sell this to dictatorships.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU has committed “strategic mistakes” in the past in the past when it came to selling infrastructure assets to China.
Lessons and warnings
The shift is prompted by concerns by EU diplomats who believe that Chinese President Xi Jinping, delivered an important speech on Sunday. the important public speech last Sunday has set China on a more authoritarian course.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU had learned from dependence on Russia and was now alert to China.
“In the instance of China this is the danger of dependence on technology and raw materials,” she said, she added that the EU is required to increase its capacity to produce and move towards more reliable suppliers.
Finland’s Marin claimed that the EU should avoid forming dependent future technologies and instead encourage greater collaboration between democratic nations.
There’s also concern about China’s attitude towards the conflict in Ukraine. Xi as well as Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “no restrictions” relationship between the two countries on the day of Russia’s incursion.
Latvian Premier Krisjanis Karins said it was essential for the EU to have a dialogue with China in order to ensure it is “on the safe side in history” regarding Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“China is best addressed when we’re 27 not when we are on the same side with regards to China,” he said.
