Partners or enemies? China demands that the EU clarify what their relationship is

First modification: 07/15/2023 – 13:45

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“The European Union should (…) clarify its position in the strategic partnership between the two parties and encourage China-EU relations to move forward,” Wang Yi, head of Chinese diplomacy, told Josep Borrell at a meeting at sidelines of a Southeast Asia summit in Jakarta on Friday, according to a ministry statement.

What was a recommendation became a demand this Saturday, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry directly asked the European Union to determine its position on its relations with Beijing.

“You must not waver, let alone encourage words and deeds to back down,” insisted Wang, the Chinese Communist Party’s top foreign affairs official. “There is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the EU”

The remarks come after the German government on Thursday unveiled its new strategy against what it called a “more offensive” China, amid growing concern in Europe and the United States over China’s ambitions.

“Our goal is not to disassociate ourselves [de China] but we want to reduce critical dependencies in the future,” German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said.

European countries are concerned about Chinese policies and the European Commission presented a proposal three weeks ago to toughen economic security instruments against the Asian giant.

However, the big German companies, such as Siemens or BASF, need the colossal Chinese market and its 1.4 billion people.

Also, hehe 2020 Covid crisis revealed the fragility of European supply chains, victims of border closures, while the war in Ukraine exposed the risk of relying on Russia for gas supplies.

Brussels wants to define its own approach to Beijing to find a balance between fear of excessive dependency and the desire to maintain strong ties with the world’s second largest economy.

with AFP