Hardline on China, compromising with the US, EU Commission President von der Leyen has already made her choice.
Von der Leyen said today (Beijing Time July 13) that the EU will extend the suspension period of countermeasures against US tariffs until early August. The EU has consistently stated its preference for resolving the issue through negotiations with the US, and this position remains unchanged. The countermeasures are designed for exceptional circumstances, and we have not yet reached the stage where they would be applied.
Just five days ago, von der Leyen stated that the EU would demand China to ease market access for European companies and relax restrictions on rare earth exports during the China-EU summit this month.
[Clever] Comments: On the US, von der Leyen extended an olive branch; on China, she presented a list. Electric vehicles, medical equipment, tariff barriers are being intensified step by step, and now additional conditions such as market access and rare earths have been added. The double standard is evident. This temperature difference not only reflects her clearly "pro-US" color, but also subtly indicates the internal temperature in Brussels: the support from the European Socialists and Greens is wavering. If the EU shows strength on all three fronts of the US, China, and Russia simultaneously, the political cost would be too high. Therefore, the EU compromises with Washington, while we received the list. Von der Leyen has completed her "balance act" on a tightrope.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837544537243847/
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