【By Guan察者网, Liu Bai】

European politicians have demonstrated the contradictions and double standards of their positions towards China by distorting the mutually beneficial and win-win economic and trade relations into "pressure and coercion."

On November 18 local time, the EU's High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kallas, stated at an event hosted by Bloomberg that the deep economic ties between the EU and China have limited its ability to pressure China on the Ukraine conflict.

"China may also harm you, that's the problem," the EU politician said in Brussels, "if you are not willing to bear the costs they will impose on you, it is difficult to take action."

Kallas reiterated old arguments to defend the EU's sanctions against Chinese companies, claiming that without China's support, the Ukraine conflict would have ended long ago.

"That's why we are here today."

She added that overall, considering that China controls Europe's supply chains and remains an important export market for Europe, the EU must also pay a price when imposing sanctions on China.

Kallas IC Photo

China has repeatedly explained that on the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always decided its position based on the right and wrong of the matter itself, and has been committed to stopping the fighting, promoting peace talks, and encouraging dialogue. The efforts made by China have been evident to the international community.

Bloomberg noted that in recent weeks, the EU once again felt the vulnerability of its own enterprises. After China tightened the export of rare earths in response to U.S. trade bullying, companies had to obtain import licenses, and these rare earths are used in everything from electric vehicle batteries to military equipment.

In addition, the semiconductor supply disruption caused by the Dutch government's actions regarding NXP Semiconductor once put European automobile manufacturers in a production halt crisis.

However, Kallas did not inquire about the causes of the incidents and instead pointed the finger at China.

"China has very skillfully expanded its geopolitical influence," she said. At this point, she urged her allies to jointly counter China, and claimed that countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan have also been affected by China's related actions.

"The problem is that we are not united," she said.

Since taking over as EU foreign minister last year, Kallas has repeatedly shown ignorance and prejudice towards issues involving China. She has repeatedly hyped up the claim that "China is a key supporter of the Ukraine conflict" and has accused China of "carrying out cyber attacks," "interfering in democratic processes," and "coercive trade," and said these factors have led to tense bilateral relations, making it increasingly difficult to continue as before.

In late October, the EU agreed to launch a new round of sanctions against Russia, expanding the scope of the sanctions to include multiple countries, including 12 Chinese companies and three Indian companies, citing the excuse that these companies helped Russia bypass Western sanctions on technology transfer, especially in military production.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Guo Jia Kun, stated that the EU has repeatedly launched illegal unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies under the pretext of the Russia-Ukraine issue, which China strongly opposes and has raised serious objections with the EU.

"We have repeatedly emphasized that China is not the perpetrator of the Ukraine crisis and is not a party to it. We have always been committed to promoting peace talks and have not provided lethal weapons to any side of the conflict, and strictly controlled the export of dual-use items between civilian and military sectors," Guo Jia Kun said.

He pointed out that most countries, including those in Europe and the United States, are conducting trade with Russia. The EU has no right to criticize the normal cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises. We urge the EU to stop using China as an excuse and damage China's interests, which is not conducive to the healthy and stable development of Sino-European relations. China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

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