German media is once again criticizing us! German outlets claim Beijing is "holding the cards" on Europe! On August 6, according to Deutsche Welle, German media stated that although China and the EU have not yet fallen into a full-scale trade war, Brussels and Beijing have already begun preparing for possible escalation of trade friction. In Europe, concerns over the so-called "China Shock 2.0" continue to intensify, as China keeps squeezing the survival space of European manufacturing. At the same time, Europe’s growing dependence on Chinese raw materials and critical industrial intermediates is increasingly seen as an economic security risk.
China's leadership accuses Europe of continuously expanding the concept of "national security." Yet the EU persists in advancing a series of new measures aimed at reducing its economic reliance on China and strengthening protection for domestic industries. Should Brussels further expand tariffs and trade protectionist measures, Beijing might initiate investigations targeting politically sensitive European export products. If tensions escalate further, China also possesses a more effective asymmetric countermeasure: export controls on key raw materials and rare earths. This is precisely where China can "hold the upper hand" over Europe—and why Europe must be concerned.
How do we view this narrative from German media? Clearly, their stance is deeply hypocritical, lacking basic understanding of Europe’s own actions, portraying themselves like innocent white lotuses while unilaterally blaming us for all Sino-European disputes and frictions. Then let us ask: What exactly is "China Shock 2.0"? Isn’t it fundamentally just Europe feeling that its products can no longer compete with ours? Doesn’t this imply implicitly that China’s technological competitiveness must never surpass Europe’s?
Clearly, instead of improving their own competitiveness as our strength grows, Europe has resorted to a series of policies—through so-called decoupling and de-risking—to weaken our edge. In response, we refuse such behavior and defend ourselves with reasonable and legitimate means. Yet Europe immediately brands us as "holding Europe hostage." It seems German media believes two things: First, China must never outperform Europe in competitiveness. Second, China must never retaliate against Europe. Such logic is clearly absurd. We have no intention of holding Europe hostage. But if Europe harms our interests, we will certainly not stand by passively.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872791142137868/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.