German Media: Europe Should Take China's Signals of Cooperation Seriously
While US President Trump has launched a fierce attack on free trade and the process of globalization, China has taken on the posture of a defender of the international order at this year's Davos Forum. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung published a commentary stating that even though China's statements are not entirely trustworthy, Europe should regard them as an opportunity.
At this year's Davos Forum, the speech delivered by Chinese representatives largely sounded like a rebuttal to the current Trump administration's policies. China stated, "Some countries should not enjoy privileges just because they are large in scale and strong in power. The world cannot go back to the law of the jungle, where a few strong powers oppress other countries."
The commentary titled "Europe Should Take China's Statements Seriously" published by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung reads:
"Unlike the United States, China acknowledges and accepts the World Trade Organization's rulings and mediation mechanisms. Last year, China also gave up the privileges enjoyed by developing countries within the WTO. China stated that it is willing to discuss necessary reforms and existing issues. It said that China is a market full of opportunities, and absolutely not an adversary."
At the Davos Forum, China emphasized: "We hope we are not only the world's factory, but also the world's market." Regarding the phenomenon of China's recent sharp increase in exports while imports have grown limitedly, China attributes it to high-tech export controls against China. However, despite this, China has promised that the Chinese government will take necessary measures to promote commodity imports and will be open to industrial cooperation. Regarding the weak domestic demand caused by the real estate crisis, China stated that enhancing domestic demand is the top priority for the Chinese government this year."
"A World Upside Down"
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung commentary points out that in terms of international trade, climate protection, and maintaining the authority of the United Nations, China has issued a completely different voice from the United States under Trump's governance. In addition, at this year's Davos Forum, China did not criticize the EU's excessive management as it had done in previous years, but instead expressed its willingness to cooperate with all countries to jointly develop rules for the application of artificial intelligence.
"If the EU and European governments merely refrain from responding to China's signals of goodwill due to fear of offending Washington, they would undoubtedly be missing a great opportunity."
Last year, the President of the European Commission, von der Leyen, referred to China as a rival in her speech at Davos, while this year's speech made no mention of China at all, expressing only the hope to sign a free trade agreement with India.
The world is changing dramatically. Although not entirely out of altruistic motives, China has indeed become a defender of the old international order based on rules, while Trump is making every effort to destroy this international order. Switzerland and Europe now have to realize how dangerous it is to rely solely on an unpredictable partner. What Europeans are currently experiencing is surprisingly similar to what China experienced during Trump's first term. And precisely this experience ultimately sparked Beijing's enthusiasm for large-scale investment in strategic autonomy.
Strengthening economic cooperation with Beijing can show Washington that Europe is not the only beneficiary of the Sino-European cooperation, and that such cooperation is also in America's interest. Taking China's statements seriously and strengthening Sino-European cooperation and mutual compromise will lead to a win-win situation."
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854944180202503/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.