From von der Leyen’s latest speech, it is clear that Europe is not aiming at taking the distance from China, as the United States are doing
Media mentions – China
Throughout Europe, the pro-China season has come to an end and has been replaced by headwinds. The eyes of European diplomacies are focused on Rome, not without some concern.
The Chinese know that (…) this is not the right time for diplomatic intervention, because there is no room for negotiation yet
Some member states will demand more precise arguments on how an outbound investment screening tool will support EU economic security
The Chinese need to understand what the stakes are. This is an opportunity for Europeans to say, ‘This is your problem, you could have stayed away like in 2014, but you chose not to – so you own this’
The real battle for international supremacy today is between different models of global order, with China and the West each offering its own distinct account of “democracy”
Starting from having a very close economic relationship with China, Saudi Arabia has now moved on to say: “I am an effective part of the Chinese-led world.”.
The concern of European states is to limit the bipolarity of the world between the United States and China, by maintaining a dialogue with Beijing in order to avoid entering into a bloc logic
It’s part of a broader framing exercise that is currently taking place that is not actually pro-peace or pro-Russian. It’s just an anti-American one, because it works really well in the moment.
The timing of the agreement stems from the situation in Iran, weakened by internal protests and by the European pressure against the country’s military support for Russia