China says it respects ex-Soviet nations after envoy’s ‘unacceptable’ comments on sovereignty

Returning from a visit to China earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU needs to have its own policy on Taiwan and to avoid following the U.S. agenda on the matter. He later added that being allies does not mean being vassals, reinforcing the idea of an independent EU policy.

Macron’s intervention was criticized in the U.S., but also in Germany and other European nations. Overall, some EU countries are afraid of clashing with the United States, particularly given its critical role on security and defense.

Macron’s comments also exposed a divide within the EU about what sort of relationship the bloc wants with China. Some are afraid of antagonizing China and endangering deep economic ties, while others favor the trans-Atlantic alliance.

The subject will be debated among the 27 heads of state, including Macron and Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at a meeting in June.

“We will reassess and recalibrate our strategy towards China,” the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Monday.

However, this is likely to be a long and hard discussion and it remains to be seen whether the bloc will be united on the matter.

In 2022, China was the largest source of EU imports and the third-largest buyer of EU goods, highlighting the economic importance that Beijing has for Europe. This is particularly relevant when economic growth in the EU is vulnerable to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in March that China is a systemic rival, an economic competitor and a strategic partner. This then applies differently to various policies. For instance, for climate matters, the EU believes China can be a strategic partner; but when it comes to providing market access, the bloc complains that Beijing is a competitor.

However, combining all of these different dynamics could be hard to achieve.

“Managing this relationship and having an open and frank exchange with our Chinese counterparts is a key part of what I would call the de-risking through diplomacy of our relations with China,” von der Leyen said ahead of a trip to Beijing.

“We will never be shy in raising the deeply concerning issues I have already set out. But I believe we must leave space for a discussion on a more ambitious partnership and on how we can make competition fairer and more disciplined,” she added.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/24/china-says-it-respects-ex-soviet-nations-sovereignty-after-envoy-comments.html