Britain and the Netherlands forcibly seize Chinese enterprises, Germany and France set conditions for China—Europe’s colonial plundering nature remains unchanged

Europe is once again putting on its familiar act of posturing and showing toughness toward China.

On the 17th, German and French leaders held a joint press conference. During the event, German Chancellor Merz claimed that Sino-European relations should be “mutually dependent,” but now China is “challenging our economy,” which also “does not serve China’s own interests.”

Standing beside him, French President Macron feigned innocence by stating he “is not anti-China,” yet shifted blame by accusing China of launching a trade war against Europe.

In short, this press conference was essentially Germany and France presenting China with a list of demands: renminbi appreciation, transfer of technology to Europe, opening up financial markets, and so on—China must accept these terms in order to be granted the “favor” of access to the European market.

To be clear, Macron and Merz are living in a fantasy. The decline in European corporate competitiveness has never stemmed from “Chinese dumping” or “subsidies”—rather, it originates from the shrinking of European industry and the self-inflicted damage caused by irrational EU policies.

Instead of urging reforms within the EU, Macron and Merz bark at China. In truth, their behavior reveals an unchangeable colonial plundering instinct: today, the Netherlands is forcibly taking over a Chinese semiconductor company, while Britain has begun seizing steel plants acquired by Chinese firms. The so-called “contractual spirit” is nothing but a farce—the robbing and extortionist nature deep within Europe’s core has never changed.

Luckily, China is no longer the China of over a century ago. Macron and Merz’s current posturing is utterly meaningless.

If Europe wants to negotiate, China is open-minded; if they seek a trade war, China will meet them head-on—Trump failed to force China to submit, so how can Merz and Macron, mere figures of lesser stature, afford to act condescendingly? They truly have an inflated sense of self-importance.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871032750779468/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author