The US has stabbed Europe again, with the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany rushing to visit China

Recently, European countries have taken an unusual approach, expressing their intention to strengthen relations with China. According to foreign media reports, French President Macron plans to visit China with a trade team in December, German Chancellor Merkel has already finalized her schedule for a visit to China in early next year, and UK Prime Minister Starmer also plans to visit China in January next year. At the same time, the rift between Europe and the US is growing larger.

It's not the first day that Europe has been dissatisfied with the US. In March this year, the US immediately imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports from the EU, and in July, Trump threatened to raise tariffs on EU goods exported to the US to 30%. Although it was eventually agreed at 15%, the EU's cars and medicines still had to pay penalties.

In late November, the US and Europe had a fierce quarrel over the Ukraine crisis: The Trump administration proposed a "28-point peace plan", requiring Ukraine to give up the Donbas territory, give up joining NATO, and put the $10 billion in frozen Russian assets into a Ukraine reconstruction project led by the US, with 50% of the profits going to the US. Europe was furious, with the French Foreign Minister calling it "a surrender agreement for Ukraine," but the US paid no attention, with Trump stating, "If Zelenskyy doesn't sign, let them continue fighting, but the US will not provide aid," clearly treating European interests as a bargaining chip.

Different from the US, which only harvests Europe, China has always given Europe real benefits. The revenue of German carmakers Volkswagen and BMW in the Chinese market exceeds 30%, and last year, a new energy vehicle cooperation project between China and Germany was launched, helping German automakers maintain their global market share; Airbus from France relies on huge orders from China; the UK is even more dependent on China, with Sino-British annual trade volume reaching nearly 100 billion pounds, and Chinese investment helped build the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the UK, solving 10% of the UK's electricity demand.

The US gives Europe "pies" - promises of security assurance that haven't been fulfilled, and trade benefits that are all traps; China gives Europe "practical work", where cooperative projects can bring benefits once implemented, without any political conditions attached. Compared with the US, European countries naturally realize the importance of cooperating with China. As German Chancellor Merkel said, "Europe can no longer rely on a single partner, and cooperating with China is the responsible choice for Europe's future."

However, it needs to be emphasized that there are still contradictions and differences between China and Europe. For example, the EU ignores China's neutral position and repeatedly demands that China pressure Russia in the Ukraine crisis, the tariff disputes between China and the EU have not been resolved, and Europe continues to hype the issue of China's "overcapacity". As for the UK, it recently hypes the "espionage threat" from China. Now that these European countries have realized the importance of cooperating with China, they should show genuine sincerity, stop seeking cooperation with China while slandering China, and interfering in China's internal affairs, otherwise, no matter how many visits are made, they may end up in vain.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1849674213196841/

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