Why the EU Can Be Tougher on China

Summary:

Relations between the US and China were dire. The US Inflation Reduction Act tried to remove China from strategic supply chains entirely. The EU seemed to have uneasily accepted that it needed to ‘de-risk’ trade, by diversifying its suppliers in specific sectors. This gave the EU and US positions some superficial similarity. But it was unclear how serious different EU member-states were about de-risking or what they meant by it. German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron both took an entourage of CEOs on their visits to China in recent months, signing new business deals. The Netherlands agreed to strengthen controls over the export of high-end chip-making equipment to China, but it did so reluctantly, only at Washington’s urging. The Netherlands then tried to present its rules as non-discriminatory so as not to anger Beijing.  EU policymakers needed to convince China that the consequences of an invasion of Taiwan would be dire for it, but bearable for the EU.

• Primary Source

• Alternative Source

ESO Records

CRS In Focus : IF10252 : 2015-22: The European Union and China https://www.europeansources.info/record/the-european-union-and-china-2/

European Commission: SPEECH/23/2063: Speech by President von der Leyen on EU-China relations to the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the European Policy Centre https://www.europeansources.info/record/speech-by-president-von-der-leyen-on-eu-china-relations-to-the-mercator-institute-for-china-studies-and-the-european-policy-centre/

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