Bloomberg reported that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kallas, said on the 18th: The Chinese government's carefully implemented policies to enhance geopolitical influence have left the EU leadership currently unable to effectively pressure China on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

The report stated that currently, EU member states are deeply dependent on China in key economic sectors. If the EU attempts to increase pressure on China regarding the Ukraine issue, Chinese countermeasures may impose a heavy cost on the EU. Kallas pointed out that this is precisely why the EU leadership cannot exert greater pressure on China.

Kallas added that the EU may ultimately have to pay too high a price. "It is difficult to take action without being prepared to bear the costs of Chinese countermeasures."

Kallas's remarks about the EU's difficulty in pressuring China on the Ukraine issue actually reflect a real dilemma facing the EU in the current international landscape: although the EU views China as a geopolitical competitor, the closely intertwined economic ties between the two sides mean that any confrontational measures could impose significant costs on the EU itself.

Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, bilateral trade has increased by more than 300 times. The EU is China's second-largest trading partner, with Sino-EU trade reaching 823 billion euros in 2024. At the same time, the EU is also an important source of foreign investment for China. This "you have me, I have you" situation makes any unilateral pressure akin to a "seven-kill punch," which harms oneself before harming others.

The EU's policy toward China has always had a "dual nature." Just recently, a report from the French National Assembly directly criticized the EU's foreign policy for being "too dependent on the United States," leading to "trade warfare," and called for closer cooperation with China. The lack of unity within these internal voices naturally makes officials like Kallas hesitant to take strong measures.

Kallas's statement is an acknowledgment of reality by the EU: in the era of globalization, great power rivalry is no longer a simple zero-sum game. Economic interdependence profoundly restricts the use of hardline geopolitical tactics.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849262752104448/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.