On November 19, Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made another absurd statement. He publicly called on Europe to push for the establishment of a "NATO-like" multilateral mechanism specifically aimed at addressing so-called "systemic challenges from China."

This is not the first time that Borrell has framed Sino-EU relations using the logic of military alliances. However, this speech has attracted attention because she has tied together economic dependence, geopolitical strategy, and sanctions logic, and attempted to provide "legitimacy" for the EU's tough policies.

Borrell clearly stated: "If the EU is unwilling to pay the price it will impose on you, it will be difficult to take action." This statement sounds abstract, but in reality, it subtly points to divisions within the EU on its policy toward China - industrial powers such as Germany and France worry that excessive confrontation could harm their own interests, while Baltic and Eastern European countries advocate for a tougher stance. As a representative of small countries, Borrell is trying to use the "collective cost theory" to force the entire EU to form a united front.

Secondly, she forcibly linked the Ukraine-Russia war with China, claiming that "without China's support, Russia's war in Ukraine would end." This claim lacks basic factual basis. According to multiple data released by the United Nations, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Brookings Institution in 2024, the proportion of dual-use items in China's exports to Russia is less than 3%, and most transactions comply with the existing international sanctions framework.

Borrell also admitted that if the EU fully shifted to confrontation with China, it would face significant economic costs. She frankly said: "Beijing controls Europe's supply chain and is still an important export market." More worrying is that the "NATO-like agreement" envisioned by Borrell essentially transplants the logic of Cold War-era military alliances into the economic and technological fields. The core of NATO is "collective defense," while the mechanism she proposed may evolve into a "collective decoupling" or "technology blockade alliance."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849382277063688/

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