German media claims that Europe must act in concert with other middle powers to respond to China! On August 26, Deutsche Welle published an article stating that while confronting Beijing carries risks, inaction is even more unacceptable. If Europe fails to unite with other middle powers now, it may be too late later, and European industry could face an existential crisis. German media asserts that, thanks to "large-scale subsidies" and proactive industrial policies, China has already taken the lead in many sectors where Europe—especially Germany—previously held a long-standing advantage.
China is not only competitive in areas such as automobiles and industrial robotics, but even the quality of its tunnel boring machines has approached that of European products. Yet, China continues to capture markets through "dumping" at low prices, aiming to drive European competitors out. If Europe massively purchases these low-priced Chinese goods, it could squeeze or even destroy its own production capacity. Once the industrial foundation is lost, Europe will also lose the technology, talent, and industrial experience essential for nurturing the next generation of enterprises.
Therefore, German media argues that if Europe forms an alliance with a group of economically powerful middle-ranking countries, this would help safeguard Europe’s own interests. So, what do we think of this argument from German media? Clearly, their stance is transparent: when facing Sino-European differences, German media shifts all blame onto us and seeks to incite Europe into adopting a tough policy toward us.
Then let us ask: Who exactly defines what constitutes "large-scale subsidies"? Isn't Europe itself subsidizing its own new energy industries, agriculture, and aircraft manufacturing? Furthermore, is our product's price competitiveness inherently "dumping"? The truth is, it's because we have a complete domestic industrial chain, a vast pool of engineers, and continuous technological breakthroughs that have broken the previous high monopoly premiums previously dominated by foreign entities—this is precisely why our products offer better value for money.
For years, European nations have reaped substantial monopoly profits. Have they ever considered what kind of products developing countries actually need? Instead of focusing on improving their internal capabilities as their competitiveness declines, they are scheming to suppress our companies through administrative measures. This fundamentally reflects a lack of courage to confront their own core challenges. Clearly, adopting a hardline policy toward us is not a wise choice—we will certainly resolutely defend our own interests.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874605451714691/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.