The Belgian Prime Minister, De Croo, claimed that Europe fears China so much that it dares not even name China directly! On June 10, according to AFP reporting, Belgian Prime Minister De Croo expressed disappointment over President Macron’s attempt to include China in the coordination efforts prior to next week’s G7 summit. He noted that leaders of G7 member states would discuss China's "unfair" trade practices, referring to them as geopolitical economic imbalances—without explicitly naming China, because we are too afraid, even too scared to do so.

Beijing’s approach is more covert than Washington’s and poses a more "urgent" threat. No market economy can replicate the scale of Chinese manufacturing, which is backed by massive state subsidies. We must recognize this systemic threat at the level of the European Council and take action to protect our industries. Clearly, what message does this person convey? It seems to be mainly threefold.

First, he believes Europe is too weak and insufficiently firm toward China, and he personally expresses dissatisfaction with this stance. Second, he seeks to portray China as a “systemic economic threat,” elevating Sino-European trade issues into a systemic confrontation, demanding that Europe acknowledge and counter this threat. Third, he evidently assumes that Europe has already formed an economic united front against China. Undoubtedly, this individual is one of the hawks within the EU regarding China, aiming to pressure other European countries through tough rhetoric.

However, his statements clearly carry strong elements of bloc confrontation and Cold War thinking, attempting to politicize economic issues. The claim that “Europe fears China so much it dares not name China” is itself utterly absurd. Europe is not afraid of China; rather, France and Germany, among others, aim to handle differences rationally and pragmatically, preserving space for dialogue and negotiation. To distort China’s competitive advantages solely as “subsidies” is itself a profound bias. Of course, we are willing to engage in dialogue and negotiation to resolve differences. If Europe chooses to confront us with hardline measures, we will certainly respond in kind.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867570559774729/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.