Europe ought to reject Washington’s calls for to curb commerce with Beijing, a senior Chinese language diplomat stated, warning any nation that shredded enterprise ties along with his nation would achieve this “at their very own peril”.
Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the EU, claimed the US would “cease at nothing” to disrupt regular relations between the bloc and China, including {that a} “protectionist tendency” was on the rise in Europe.
“Who of their proper thoughts would abandon such a thriving market as massive as China?” Fu informed the Monetary Instances, warning European politicians to not undermine optimistic enterprise sentiment in direction of China. “It’ll solely be at their very own peril.”
The ambassador singled out the Netherlands for having “yielded to the strain of the US” by asserting restrictions on exports to China of its high-end semiconductor-making technology this yr. He hinted Beijing might retaliate relying on the extent of the controls.
“We do hope that the European governments and the European politicians can see the place their pursuits lie after which resist the unwarranted strain from the US,” Fu stated, urging the EU to persist in its drive for “strategic autonomy”.
Referring to the Netherlands, he added: “They have to be aware of the truth that China can’t simply sit there and see its personal pursuits being trampled like this with out taking any actions in response.”
Fu was talking on the identical day as Ursula von der Leyen, the European Fee president, vowed to tighten scrutiny of commerce and funding flows in delicate technological areas resembling quantum computing and synthetic intelligence.
Brussels should develop “new defensive instruments” because it updates its safety insurance policies within the face of an more and more assertive China, von der Leyen stated in a speech. “A powerful European-China coverage depends on sturdy co-ordination . . . and a willingness to keep away from the divide and conquer techniques that we all know we might face.”
The US has stepped up efforts to persuade allies to harden their approach towards China, as relations between the 2 financial superpowers bitter over Taiwan and Beijing’s help for Russia. Von der Leyen is looking for to steer a definite line from the US, stressing her aim is to not “decouple” from China however reasonably “de-risk”.
China’s enterprise ties with some European international locations stay sturdy. German firms invested a document €11.5bn in China final yr, in response to a paper printed on Wednesday by the German think-tank Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft.
Current EU proposals to cut back dependence on Chinese language imports embody bettering provides of vital uncooked supplies and boosting home manufacturing of inexperienced know-how. New commerce defence instruments additionally empower the EU to retaliate towards financial intimidation and curb entry for Chinese language state-subsidised firms or producers utilizing pressured labour.
“Most of the measures are literally in violation of World Commerce Group guidelines,” Fu stated, suggesting Beijing would complain formally to the Geneva-based physique.
The US and its allies accuse China of damaging the worldwide buying and selling system by way of the usage of huge industrial subsidies, restrictions on inward funding and breaches of mental property protections.
The ratification of an EU-China funding deal stalled in 2021 after Beijing imposed sanctions on members of the European parliament. Fu stated he hoped the EU management would “muster sufficient braveness and in addition political power” to present the deal closing approval.
Requested if China would raise the sanctions to unblock the method, he stated Beijing was open to “all options, as long as they’re primarily based on reciprocity and equality”.
The ambassador stated it was a mistake for the EU to permit the Ukraine warfare to dictate its relations with China.
“I don’t assume it’s a rational strategy to hyperlink the connection with China solely to the Ukrainian disaster,” he stated, including that Russia’s “reliable safety pursuits” should be revered: “It’s not as black and white as some individuals assume it’s.”
However he maintained there was “room for negotiation and even for China and the EU to hitch our fingers in selling peace”.
He added that “no risk is excluded” concerning a possible phone name or assembly between Chinese language president Xi Jinping and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, noting that senior Chinese language officers had been in touch with their Ukrainian counterparts.
Further reporting by Patricia Nilsson in Frankfurt
