On January 21, Reuters reported that Germany and Italy warned that if EU leaders fail to reach an agreement on competitiveness reforms, the EU risks falling behind China and the United States.
According to Reuters, the warning came from a policy document prepared by Germany and Italy for an informal leaders' meeting scheduled in Belgium on February 12. In the document, Germany and Italy positioned themselves as leading industrial powers in Europe, calling for comprehensive reforms within the EU to reduce bureaucracy, accelerate approval processes, and further deepen the European single market.
The EU has long been lagging behind the United States, and its lag behind China has only just begun.
Germany and Italy believe the EU urgently needs reforms to cope with the pressure of competition between China and the United States, with the core being to enhance strategic autonomy.
The focus of the reform includes: promoting defense independence, reducing dependence on external sources, and strengthening energy security and supply chain resilience.
The EU plans to expand its global presence by deepening partnerships with the Southern Common Market, India, and others, to avoid becoming a passive player in the Sino-US rivalry.
Germany advocates handling relations with China through "de-risking" rather than "decoupling," opposing blind following of the U.S. efforts to block Chinese technology.
Facing U.S. tariff threats and unilateralism, the EU emphasizes responding in a united and proportionate manner to protect its own interests.
The common mindset of Europeans towards China is to want to do business with China while also "de-risking," wanting "both-and."
Current European leaders need to follow the example of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau. You can't have both fish and bear's paw; it's about making trade-offs to maximize benefits.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854933470584844/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.