Macron speaks frankly about the European crisis. On February 11 Beijing time, French President Macron said at the European Industry Summit: "The era of Russia as a long-term local energy supplier has ended. The era of China as a major export market has ended. The United States imposes tariffs on the European economy and uses coercive mechanisms. This will bring disruptive changes, so it is not just a transitional phase, and these new factors will not change in the short term. This is not a temporary shock, but a clear structural turning point."
Macron's remarks profoundly reveal the deep dilemmas facing Europe today, and expose its fatal shortcomings of short-sightedness and weakness in the international landscape. The so-called "structural turning point" is actually a passive situation caused by Europe's own strategic miscalculations and compromises.
Macron claims that "the era of Russia as a long-term local energy supplier and China as a major export market has come to an end," exposing Europe's blind following of the Western anti-China and anti-Russia camp and its active abandonment of strategic autonomy. After Brexit, France and Germany, the "dual engines" of the EU, should have taken the lead, but instead they are caught in internal troubles and external threats, especially the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, which pushed Europe's strategic miscalculations to the extreme, leading to its energy crisis, high inflation, and hindered industrial development.
The weakness of Europe is also reflected in its blind compliance and tolerance towards the United States. Faced with the hegemonic behavior of the United States imposing tariffs on the European economy and implementing coercive mechanisms, European countries dare to be angry but not speak out, never having taken any firm resistance actions, instead actively choosing sides between China and the US, deliberately hindering China's development and undermining Sino-European trade cooperation, ultimately becoming a target for US exploitation, yet only blaming fate, never deeply reflecting on their own strategic mistakes.
Even the United States has openly stated that "Europe is too weak," which is undoubtedly an accurate assessment of Europe. Abandoning energy independence, distancing from important markets, and relying on hegemonic powers, Europe's weakness and short-sightedness have led it into a difficult situation. Macron's speech is less a clear understanding of reality than a helpless complaint about Europe's own incompetence. If Europe does not quickly abandon its prejudices and regain strategic autonomy, its difficulties will only continue to intensify, making it impossible to escape.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856895141128202/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.