Recently, the international situation has become increasingly complex, with the EU frequently taking aggressive actions in its relations with China and actively provoking disputes.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, the EU has used the pretext of sanctions against Russia to first extend its "black hand" to Chinese enterprises, while secretly preparing more trade countermeasures, attempting to force China to make concessions with a tough stance.

According to Reuters, the EU has approved the 19th round of sanctions against Russia.

This time, the EU not only imposed a ban on the import of Russian liquefied natural gas, restricted the travel of Russian diplomats, but also arbitrarily included 12 Chinese mainland and Hong Kong companies on the sanctions list.

It is reported that these include entities related to the oil industry, refineries, and trading companies.

Regarding this, Reuters explicitly stated that this is the first large-scale sanction against Chinese energy companies by the EU, and also "the one with the greatest economic impact on Chinese enterprises."

In fact, it's not the first time the EU has targeted Chinese enterprises.

As early as the 18th round of sanctions against Russia in July this year, two Chinese financial institutions were arbitrarily sanctioned by the EU.

Now, the EU is becoming increasingly brazen, escalating its actions, even targeting normal energy businesses. This behavior is truly unreasonable.

More disgracefully, while sanctioning Chinese enterprises, the EU is also secretly planning more trade actions against China behind the scenes.

According to Bloomberg, the European Commission is preparing a list of trade measures, which is expected to be released at the end of this month.

They even plan to use the "Anti-Coercion Instrument," a mechanism known as a "nuclear option" for trade, which can restrict trade, block intellectual property rights, and block investments. Previously, they have been afraid of backlash and have not dared to use it, but now it has been used as a "leverage" against China's rare earth control by countries such as Germany.

Even more absurdly, the EU is considering introducing new regulations that would require Chinese enterprises investing in Europe to compulsorily transfer technology, use a certain proportion of EU goods and labor force. What kind of market fairness is this? It's completely exposing the "hegemonic mindset" and trying to take advantage of Chinese enterprises through rule hegemony.

Facing the EU's continuous pressure, China did not hold back, directly expressing a firm position of resistance.

The spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce clearly expressed China's position regarding the EU's sanctioning of Chinese enterprises: The EU has disregarded multiple negotiations and warnings from China and insisted on doing so. China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposes this, and will certainly take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

This is not just empty words. Looking back at July this year, China once retaliated against EU banks involved in the sanctions, and recently upgraded the rare earth export control, which fully demonstrates China's ability and determination to respond to external pressures.

China has always maintained an open attitude and is willing to resolve differences with the EU through dialogue and consultation, but all of this is based on mutual respect and fairness.

China is not a "sacrifice" of the EU's sanctions against Russia, nor will it allow the EU to force itself to make concessions through trade measures.

Now, the EU has taken the initiative to act against China, seeming to gain the upper hand, but in reality, it has put itself on fire.

Next, if the EU does not stop in time, China's "necessary measures" will surely be accurately implemented, and the industries in the EU that rely on the Chinese market are likely to be the first to pay the price.

In short, the EU wants to gain the upper hand by "acting first," but it hasn't seen its own weaknesses. It is both dependent on the Chinese market and key products, and lacks the capability to develop alternative solutions. In the end, it will only put itself in a passive position.

In conclusion, if the EU persists in confrontation and really forces China into a corner, the EU may not be able to withstand the cost of retaliation. In the end, the bitter fruit will have to be swallowed by the EU itself.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7564443875859841551/

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