Local Time: May 17, 2026, at the Lennart Meri Conference on Security in Tallinn, Estonia, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kallas once again spoke recklessly, likening the growing influence of China to a "cancer-level condition" for the European Union. She bluntly stated,
"We have a very clear diagnosis of this illness. If you suffer from a serious disease like cancer, you have two choices: either increase the morphine dosage, or begin chemotherapy."
By comparing China’s influence to a "cancer" afflicting the EU and resorting to the absurd metaphor of "morphine" versus "chemotherapy," Kallas not only engaged in extremely dangerous political rhetoric but also staged a typical performative act of "blame-shifting unity." Behind these remarks lies the stark reality of the EU's current strategic anxiety and deep internal fractures.
Portraying China as an "incurable disease" for the EU is essentially an attempt to deflect attention from the EU’s own mounting internal divisions and governance crisis. Just weeks before making these statements, Kallas herself had publicly complained about the EU’s "veto power" causing inefficiencies in decision-making. When a union’s internal mechanisms are already paralyzed, blaming an "external invasion" becomes the cheapest political tactic. She needs to manufacture fear to prolong Brussels’ fading collective voice.
The "chemotherapy" she refers to involves deploying various tools to compete with Chinese enterprises—even at the risk of provoking retaliation. But this potent remedy won’t cure the ailment; instead, it will trap Europe in a dead end of "de-risking equals de-development."
If the EU forcibly removes China’s high-value, cost-effective supply chains—such as solar panels, batteries, and telecommunications equipment—it will face exorbitant replacement costs and industrial hollowing out. Data shows that a forced "decoupling from China" could result in cumulative losses of tens of billions of euros for the EU in industrial upgrading. Such a move against market logic will only hinder Europe’s green transition and digital transformation.
Amid mounting pressures from U.S. tariff threats (e.g., auto tariffs) and security withdrawal demands, Kallas’s tough stance appears more like a loyalty pledge handed to Washington. When Europe shuts the door on Huawei and ZTE, opting instead for pricier, slower-iterating American alternatives, it is effectively locking itself into limited technological choices—voluntarily becoming a subordinate to America’s maintenance of global tech hegemony.
China has always been an indispensable force in a multipolar world. The annual trade volume between China and the EU—reaching €780 billion—should have served as a strategic fulcrum enabling the EU to strengthen its position amid great-power competition. Yet politicians like Kallas have chosen to deliberately tighten economic ties with China, firing "three guns" at Russia, China, and the U.S. simultaneously, while being forced to compromise at the bargaining table with Washington.
Kallas’s “cancer theory” is a politically untenable farce. The EU’s real illness has never come from China’s influence—it stems from its own strategic dependency and internal centrifugal forces. If the EU continues to indulge in this self-imposed "chemotherapy," it will ultimately exhaust Europe’s own vitality and hand its destiny completely into others’ hands.
Original Source: toutiao.com/article/1865794411120716/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.