【Text by Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】
At the same time as it was revealed that the EU plans to impose tariffs of up to 50% on steel and related products from China, the EU seems to be plotting more unfair trade measures against China.
According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on the 26th, during an event hosted by the International Institute for European Affairs (IIEA) in Ireland on Thursday, former EU senior official Cecilia Malmstrom claimed that in order to protect domestic industries, the EU plans to significantly strengthen its trade defense measures against China in the coming weeks, and currently "preparing for an additional 20 anti-dumping investigations in multiple areas." She said, "The investigations will start one after another in the coming weeks."
Malmstrom served as the EU Commissioner for Trade from 2014 to 2019, and during her tenure she led the negotiations for the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). She continues to be active in EU affairs as an academic and expert consultant. Her consistent position is to emphasize the complementarity of Sino-European trade, but also to unjustly accuse China of so-called "unfair competition" issues.
In response to questions from the South China Morning Post, Malmstrom described China as "a complex partner." She also falsely claimed that since this year when US President Trump returned to the White House, China "has very skillfully taken advantage of countries around the world who are disappointed with the US."
Following this, Malmstrom made baseless comments: "Many people thought that now with the heightened tensions between Europe and the US, this would push the EU closer to China, but that's not the case. Some other countries have indeed moved closer to China, but the EU has not, we still have many major concerns."
The report stated that the European Commission has not confirmed the remarks of this former official. However, it is worth noting that the EU's chief trade enforcement officer Denis Redonnet stated on Wednesday at the European Parliament that the EU will continue to take "punitive measures" to address the impact of so-called "Chinese overcapacity." However, he admitted that these measures cannot completely solve the problem.
Regarding Sino-European relations, China has consistently emphasized that China's development and openness bring opportunities, not risks, to Europe and the world. Protectionism cannot solve the EU's problems; it protects the backward and loses the future. China and the EU are each other's second-largest trading partners, both important forces in building an open world economy. They should resolve specific trade issues through dialogue and consultation.
Photo: Former EU Senior Official Cecilia Malmstrom, screenshot from U.S. media video
Hong Kong media mentioned that Trump's arbitrary tariffs have raised concerns about the "threat of trade transfer." The EU, instead of kneeling down to the unreasonable trade coercion of the United States, has turned its attention more towards China, while repeatedly bringing up the old issue of "overcapacity," and following the U.S. steps to distort China's reasonable and legal export control of key minerals into so-called "rare earth weaponization."
EU senior trade official Sabine Weyand is a supporter of this view. She slandered that China's rare earth export controls are a typical example of "weaponizing dependence on China," and also complained that China's temporary tariff on imported pork violates global trade rules, and threatened that the EU will take all feasible measures to protect itself.
Ironically, facing the real violation of global trade rules by the United States, this EU trade policy chief officer who participated in the U.S.-Europe trade negotiations did not feel ashamed about the agreement reached with the United States, but instead urged European parliamentarians to vote in favor of this agreement criticized as "capitulation to the US," and argued that it is the best outcome the EU can achieve at present.
In contrast, China has always used trade relief measures with prudence and restraint. Regarding the EU's anti-dumping investigation on relevant pork products, on September 18, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce of China, He Yadao, introduced that during the investigation process, China maintained good communication with relevant enterprises, industry associations, and government departments of the EU, including Spain, listened carefully to the opinions of all parties, and will continue to advance the investigation in accordance with laws and regulations.
The spokesperson further emphasized that this year, China has not initiated any original investigations against the EU, and only made rulings in three cases. In stark contrast, the EU has initiated seven original investigations against China this year, accounting for nearly 40% of its total external investigations.
According to a report by the German newspaper Handelsblatt on the 26th, citing information from high-level officials in Brussels, the European Commission plans to impose tariffs of 25% to 50% on Chinese steel and related products in the coming weeks.
At the same time, the EU plans to link the granting of public contracts to the so-called "buying European products" rule—future subways, trains, and railway lines will be built using "European green steel"; it will also encourage large enterprises and car rental companies to prioritize purchasing European electric vehicles as part of their fleets through a quota system.
"Europe has no choice but to find a new balance," said European Commission Executive Vice President and EU Industrial Strategy Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné, stating that the EU needs to reduce internal trade barriers and establish a truly functioning internal market, while also taking protective measures to restore balance with partners who no longer abide by any rules.
However, Germany has taken a "cautious attitude." German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil stated that he actually supports free trade and opposes protectionism, but then shifted his stance, claiming that considering the industrial policies of China and the United States, "we should not be naive."
The UK's Guardian published a column article on the 23rd, which pointed out that for years, the EU has followed the U.S. footsteps on issues concerning China, but this approach is no longer feasible now. The article questioned, "In the absence of a superpower ally, can the EU withstand being squeezed between two great powers?"
The article analyzed that China still holds the upper hand in the current China-U.S. trade war, and Trump sees Europe as a subordinate: he is happy to see Europe bear the consequences of imposing economic pressure on China, but does not want to pay the price himself, and his decisions often ignore the positions of European and Asian partners.
As the role of Washington's so-called "North Star" disappears, the article believes that Europeans will have to re-examine: what is their true position? And how should they interact with China?
The article repeatedly asked, "Should we increase trade protectionism or promote technology transfer from China, avoid a trade war, and work with Asia to protect the global trade order? In the knowledge that without Chinese green technology, the EU cannot advance its energy transition and achieve climate goals, should we accept or try to reduce dependence on Chinese green technology? In the Global South, in the context of the U.S. withdrawal from aid, can the EU really counter China's Belt and Road Initiative, or accept that its own 'Global Gateway' infrastructure initiative complements it..."
Unfortunately, "the answers to these questions are not simple. But expecting the problems to disappear on their own is not the answer."
Regarding Sino-European relations, on September 13, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, stated in Ljubljana that the current international situation is turbulent and chaotic, with frequent conflicts. China and the EU should be friends rather than adversaries, cooperate rather than confront, and make the right choices in the century's transformation, demonstrating their responsibility to history and the people.
During his visit to Austria on the 12th, Wang Yi also mentioned that maintaining the healthy and stable development of Sino-European relations is in the interest of both sides and the wishes of the people. The problems Europe is facing are not caused by China. China supports Europe in seeking genuine strategic autonomy, but opposes the wrong idea of making deals that harm China's interests. It hopes that Austria will play a constructive role in promoting the EU to adopt a rational and pragmatic policy toward China.
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7554406127161704995/
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