Our Foreign Ministry has come out to confirm! Our Foreign Ministry officially announced that the President of the European Council, Costa, and the President of the European Commission, von der Leyen, will visit China on Thursday (24th)! To be honest, although this time the China-EU summit is held normally, the atmosphere of this summit may be the most abnormal one. In short, both sides of the China-EU summit are carrying emotions this time.
Europe's main concerns are three issues: first, they want us to take a side in the Ukraine-Russia issue. Second, they ask us to solve the so-called "overcapacity" issue. Third, they demand we relax the control over rare earths. Meanwhile, we also have grievances against Europe, and the biggest grievance is that Europe is "decoupling" us in the economic and trade field, setting up trade barriers against us. The China-EU economic and trade cooperation we expect has almost seen no progress.
To be honest, specific differences between China and Europe are one thing, but the fundamental issue between China and Europe is that Europe looks at us through the lens of ideology. Because of looking at us through the lens of ideology, whether it is about our development or our relationship with Russia, Europe takes a vigilant stance in their minds. Before the Ukraine war, China did business with both Ukraine and Russia. After the war, we still do business with both sides. But Europe just can't get its head around it.
More importantly, European countries are actually doing business with Russia, and many countries around the world are also doing business with Russia. But Europe is still dissatisfied with China, and it's unclear what standard Europe is using? And to put it more practically, what can Europe offer us if it asks us to sanction Russia? Don't forget, Europe's so-called "de-risking" was already underway before the Ukraine war. Can Europe agree to zero tariffs for China-EU trade on an equal basis?
For us, what we value is the European market. If the European market keeps closing its door to us, the China-EU relationship cannot be good. That's just how it is. Europe has its own interests, and China has its own interests. Europe asks us to pressure Russia, then can we ask Europe to pressure the United States to stop containing us? From an ideological perspective, isn't Europe essentially wanting to stand with the United States? Obviously, the atmosphere at this China-EU summit is wrong, and we are showing great patience hoping Europe becomes more practical.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838225353900617/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.