https://sputnikglobe.com/20221017/eu-ministers-reportedly-urged-to-toughen-stance-on-all-out-competitor-china-1101917494.html
EU Ministers Reportedly Urged to Toughen Stance on ‘All-Out Competitor’ China
EU Ministers Reportedly Urged to Toughen Stance on ‘All-Out Competitor’ China
Sputnik International
Recalibrating Brussels’ strategy towards Beijing as China becomes an ever stronger global competitor for the EU is one of a plethora of issues on the agenda of... 17.10.2022, Sputnik International
2022-10-17T10:49+0000
2022-10-17T10:49+0000
2023-04-12T17:04+0000
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The EU must rethink its attitude towards China and treat it as an "all-out competitor" with "limited areas of potential engagement," the EU’s 27 national foreign ministers have been advised, according to an internal paper prepared by the European External Action Service (the EU’s foreign affairs branch) and cited by the Financial Times.Ahead of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council starting Monday in Luxembourg, the bloc’s ministers were advised working more closely with the US, strengthening cyber and hybrid threat defenses, while diversifying supply chains away from China as part of recalibrating Brussels’ strategy towards Beijing.The "challenges," it added, are likely to “widen the divergence between China’s and our own political choices and positions.”Since the existing policy towards Beijing was agreed back in 2019, describing Beijing as “a strategic partner of the EU in addressing global and international challenges,” there has been a marked decline in the relationship, according to the document. EU-China ties have been marred by trade disputes and tit-for-tat sanctions, the paper is cited as emphasizing. Remaining areas of limited potential cooperation with China, according to the report, include climate change, the environment, and health. The EU’s dependence on China for semiconductors and some rare-earth metals was described as a “strategic vulnerability” by the paper, urging boosted domestic production, diversified supply chains, and other initiatives inside the bloc.While the paper deplored ostensibly numerous failed attempts to find common ground, it is no secret that the bloc's relations with China have spiraled amid numerous allegations leveled at Beijing. From unproven claims of human rights "abuse" in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), decried by Beijing as “maliciously distorting Chinese laws and policies," to political manipulation of Hong Kong and Taiwan - related issues, the West has increasingly offered skewed narratives on what the Asian giant sees as meddling in its internal affairs.'Outdated' PolicyChina’s position on Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, its stance regarding Taiwan, Hong Kong and alleged mistreatment of its Uyghur minority all warrant a rethink of the original EU policy, officials said.The EU’s existing policy of perceiving China as “partner-competitor-systemic rival” is outdated, the EEAS paper to be discussed by foreign ministers in Luxembourg stated. “China-Russia bilateral relations clearly amount to a strong strategic partnership, based on support for each other’s core interests, and cannot be ignored,” the paper added.For the EU bloc, China’s ever-deepening ties with Russia are “a worrying development . . .[that] cannot be ignored,” the ministerial paper underscored. It added that Beijing’s support for Moscow has “brought China to more directly contest western democracies.”From the beginning of Moscow's operation in Ukraine, the US pressured China to both join the sweeping sanctions imposed on the Kremlin by the so-called collective West, and limit its cooperation with Russia in the military and economic spheres, prompting a firm rebuttal from Beijing, which insisted on maintaining ties with Moscow.Furthermore, China warned that the sanctions against Russia had triggered spillover effects of rising energy costs and economic risks for developing nations.Regarding the province of Taiwan, which Beijing considers as an inalienable part of China, the five-page EEAS document said:The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism.At the 20th Congress of the governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that opened on Sunday in Beijing, it was underscored that "in the face of serious provocations by separatist forces calling for Taiwan’s independence, and interference from outside forces," China would "protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity."From alleged instances of "economic coercion" by China, heightened competition in key technologies, to purported cyber and hybrid threats, singled out by the EEAS paper, the EU was egged on to look upon the current EU strategy as no longer valid. The assessment was sent out ahead of a debate on China by the bloc’s 27 leaders at a summit starting on October 20. The claims in the paper echo earlier warnings from Washington that China was its “most consequential geopolitical challenge.” The US released a national security strategy that warned Beijing “harbors the intention and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order.”“We will prioritize maintaining an enduring competitive edge over the PRC,” the US strategy said, referring to the People's Republic of China.The EU internal assessment comes against the backdrop of the Chinese Communist Party's congress, which started on Sunday and will continue through the rest of the week. Chinese President Xi Jinping weighed in on his country's policies in response to the current global trends, saying on the opening day that China resolutely defends impartiality and fairness in international relations, advocates and practices true multilateralism, and is against hegemonism and the politics of brute force. Xi Jinping also said on October 16 that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers it necessary to accelerate the process of turning the country into a leading world industrial power, including in the development of manufacturing industry, astronautics, transport, and network technologies.The week-long event will wrap up on October 22, with Xi Jinping expected to be nominated for a third five-year term as the CCP’s general secretary and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
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EU Ministers Reportedly Urged to Toughen Stance on ‘All-Out Competitor’ China
10:49 GMT 17.10.2022 (Updated: 17:04 GMT 12.04.2023) Recalibrating Brussels’ strategy towards Beijing as China becomes an ever stronger global competitor for the EU is one of a plethora of issues on the agenda of the Council of the European Union meeting in Luxemburg on October 17.
The EU must rethink its attitude towards
China and treat it as an "all-out competitor" with "limited areas of potential engagement," the EU’s 27 national foreign ministers have been advised, according to an internal paper prepared by the European External Action Service (the EU’s foreign affairs branch) and cited by the Financial Times.
Ahead of a
meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council starting Monday in Luxembourg, the bloc’s ministers were advised working more closely with the US, strengthening cyber and hybrid threat defenses, while diversifying supply chains away from China as part of recalibrating Brussels’ strategy towards Beijing.
“China has become an even stronger global competitor for the EU, the US and other like-minded partners. It is therefore essential to assess how best to respond to current and foreseeable challenges,” the paper stated.
The "challenges," it added, are likely to “widen the divergence between China’s and our own political choices and positions.”
14 September 2022, 16:15 GMT
Since the existing policy towards Beijing was agreed back in 2019, describing Beijing as “a strategic partner of the EU in addressing global and international challenges,” there has been a marked decline in the relationship, according to the document. EU-China ties have been marred by trade disputes and tit-for-tat sanctions, the paper is cited as emphasizing. Remaining areas of limited potential cooperation with China, according to the report, include climate change, the environment, and health. The EU’s dependence on China for semiconductors and some rare-earth metals was described as a “strategic vulnerability” by the paper, urging boosted domestic production, diversified supply chains, and other initiatives inside the bloc.
While the paper deplored ostensibly numerous failed attempts to find common ground, it is no secret that the bloc's relations with China have spiraled amid numerous allegations leveled at Beijing.
From unproven claims of human rights "abuse" in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), decried by Beijing as “maliciously distorting Chinese laws and policies," to political manipulation of Hong Kong and Taiwan - related issues, the West has increasingly offered skewed narratives on what the Asian giant sees as
meddling in its internal affairs.
China’s position on Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, its stance regarding Taiwan, Hong Kong and alleged mistreatment of its Uyghur minority all warrant a rethink of the original EU policy, officials said.
“This is the moment to assess . . . And see if our policy is the right one. We have to factor in the serious events that have happened over the past year,” a second senior EU official reportedly added.
The EU’s existing policy of perceiving China as “partner-competitor-systemic rival” is outdated, the EEAS paper to be discussed by foreign ministers in Luxembourg stated.
“China-Russia bilateral relations clearly amount to a strong strategic partnership, based on support for each other’s core interests, and cannot be ignored,” the paper added.
For the EU bloc, China’s ever-deepening ties with Russia are “a worrying development . . .[that] cannot be ignored,” the ministerial paper underscored. It added that Beijing’s support for Moscow has “brought China to more directly contest western democracies.”
From the beginning of Moscow's operation in Ukraine, the US pressured China to both join the sweeping sanctions imposed on the Kremlin by the so-called collective West, and limit its cooperation with Russia in the military and economic spheres, prompting a
firm rebuttal from Beijing, which insisted on maintaining ties with Moscow.
Furthermore, China warned that the sanctions against Russia had triggered spillover effects of rising energy costs and economic risks for developing nations.
16 October 2022, 03:13 GMT
Regarding the province of Taiwan, which Beijing considers as an inalienable part of China, the five-page EEAS document said:
“It is key to focus on de-escalation and dissuasion to prevent the erosion of the status quo, including by referring to possible consequences in case of specific unilaterally imposed changes to the status quo.”
The
situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism.
At the 20th Congress of the governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that opened on Sunday in Beijing, it was underscored that "in the face of serious provocations by separatist forces calling for Taiwan’s independence, and interference from outside forces," China would "protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
15 October 2022, 11:12 GMT
From alleged instances of "economic coercion" by China, heightened competition in key technologies, to purported cyber and hybrid threats, singled out by the EEAS paper, the EU was egged on to look upon the current EU strategy as no longer valid. The assessment was sent out ahead of a debate on China by the bloc’s 27 leaders at a summit starting on October 20.
The claims in the paper echo earlier warnings from Washington that China was its “most consequential geopolitical challenge.” The US released a national security strategy that warned Beijing “harbors the intention and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order.”
“We will prioritize maintaining an enduring competitive edge over the PRC,” the US strategy said, referring to the People's Republic of China.
"The post-Cold War era is over, and the competition is underway between the major powers to shape what comes next," President Joe Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said in a speech at Georgetown University unveiling the strategy.
15 October 2022, 11:28 GMT
The EU internal assessment comes against the backdrop of the Chinese Communist Party's
congress, which started on Sunday and will continue through the rest of the week.
Chinese President Xi Jinping weighed in on his country's policies in response to the current global trends, saying on the opening day that China resolutely defends impartiality and fairness in international relations, advocates and practices true multilateralism, and is against hegemonism and the politics of brute force.
Xi Jinping also said on October 16 that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers it necessary to accelerate the process of turning the country into a leading world industrial power, including in the development of manufacturing industry, astronautics, transport, and network technologies.
The week-long event will wrap up on October 22, with
Xi Jinping expected to be nominated for a third five-year term as the CCP’s general secretary and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
