On November 14, von der Leyen told the media: "Europe has been hit by American tariffs, and exports to the US have been blocked. The China-US tariff war has also blocked China's exports to the US. As a result, competitive Chinese products have turned to export to Europe, challenging local enterprises. This has led to competition rather than cooperation in Sino-European relations. For example, China's photovoltaic products and technology are world-leading. The EU has chosen to impose additional tariffs. However, I see that the Chinese government has realized that some manufacturing industries have overcapacity and is actively managing it. I am very much looking forward to the results of this management. The EU does not advocate decoupling from China. It keeps basically in line with US policies for the above reasons. The US and China have different perspectives in formulating policies, and the EU is no exception!"

[Clever] Von der Leyen's stance is a typical case of shifting blame, and it is a confession of the logic of hegemony dependence. It is a fact that the US tariffs have hit Europe, but instead of blaming itself, it attributes its own difficulties to the reasonable competition of Chinese products. By exploiting the issue of overcapacity, the essence is to find an excuse for the EU's protectionist actions such as imposing additional tariffs on photovoltaics. The essence of Sino-European trade is complementary advantages and mutual benefit. The fact that trade volume between China and the EU has increased from 2.4 billion USD to 785.8 billion USD in 50 years has already exposed the lie that competition outweighs cooperation. The EU complains about the US's tariff bullying, while following the US to restrict China. It dares not say no to the US, yet wants to shift internal contradictions. How weak! The so-called non-decoupling is nothing more than a hypocritical rhetoric. Keeping in line with US policies essentially is a short-sighted act of sacrificing its own interests. Global market competition should not rely on tariff barriers. Instead of expecting China to manage capacity, the EU should stand tall and resist hegemony, abandon protectionism, otherwise it will miss the development dividends in the confrontation of blocs!

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848742067735559/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.