Originally, it was expected that Wang Yi's visit to Europe would lead to a upgrading of Sino-European cooperation and mutual progress, but Europe has been very unenthusiastic about strengthening economic and trade cooperation with us. Faced with Europe's stubbornness, we can only take a straightforward approach to clearly state our position to Europe.

The first is that on July 6, the Ministry of Finance of China issued a notice stating that when procurement entities purchase medical equipment with a budget amount exceeding 45 million RMB, EU enterprises are excluded from participation, except for European-invested enterprises in China, as a countermeasure against the EU's ban on our medical equipment.

The second is that on July 4, the Ministry of Commerce announced the imposition of anti-dumping duties ranging from 27.7% to 34.9% on brandy from the EU, with an average rate of 32.2%, as a response to France leading the charge in imposing anti-subsidy duties on Chinese electric vehicles.

During our foreign minister's visit to Europe, we made two moves against the EU consecutively, which is likely the first time in history. Several foreign media outlets have stated that Europe appears very unaccustomed to dealing with China in such a straightforward manner.

This has even caused the French Minister of Finance, Laurent, to be extremely upset, saying, "Imagine a world like a playground where everyone is playing... and following the rules, then came 'three bullies' who don't follow any rules, overturning the game table and bullying those children who were having fun. That is the world of predators."

Regarding China, Laurent angrily said that the existing tariffs on the steel and automotive industries are not enough.

The French finance minister placed China, the US, and Russia together, directly stating that China, the US, and Russia bully other countries in the world. To be honest, this new statement is something we have heard for the first time, which is full of a sense of surrealism. Of course, the French finance minister's argument is obviously absurd.

In fact, the way we have treated the EU cannot be blamed on us. The EU has imposed embargoes on our lithography machines and set up trade barriers for our new energy vehicles and medical equipment. We certainly need to respond equally.

After this round of confrontation between China and the EU, the EU seems to be quite angry, so they have taken a new action against us. On July 7, the Financial Times reported that the EU and China had originally planned to sign a joint statement on climate action during the summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sino-European diplomatic relations, but this plan has now been postponed.

EU officials stated that Brussels has repeatedly refused China's request to jointly issue climate commitments after the summit unless China promises to take more measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, claimed that from our perspective, the statement would only make sense if it contained specific substantive content and demonstrated ambition.

In other words, the EU requires us to make new commitments before it will agree to sign the agreement. However, the European approach makes us feel bewildering. In fact, in the field of climate change, there are almost no differences between China and the EU.

We are one of the most proactive countries in promoting the transformation of the new energy industry and actively addressing climate issues. Over the past decade, the proportion of non-fossil energy in China's total energy consumption has increased to 17.9%, and carbon emission intensity has decreased by more than 34%.

The EU's claim that our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is insufficient is clearly baseless. Moreover, while the EU claims to want to address global climate problems, it also sets up trade barriers for Chinese new energy vehicles entering the European market. Europe's contradictory policies make it impossible not to doubt whether the EU is truly taking climate issues seriously.

To be honest, the EU's actions seem to be just venting its frustration, deliberately showing a non-cooperative attitude in an attempt to pressure us. However, regardless of the EU's stance, our push for the transformation of new energy will not be affected at all.

And the EU's attempts to pressure us may not achieve their goals. Ultimately, the EU should change its mindset when dealing with us. The EU cannot handle the United States, but thinks it can make up for it with us, which is impossible.

The main path of Sino-European relations is cooperation, and the basis for interaction is equality and respect. This is the way we deal with the United States, and it is also the way we deal with Europe.

(End of article)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524287448826774067/

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