On the day of the China-EU Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, does the EU plan to give China a "deterrent" to Chinese enterprises? During the meeting between the Chinese and European foreign ministers, Borrell praised China's development achievements, what did Foreign Minister Wang Yi say? Does Borrell's positive statement mean that China-EU relations will usher in a turning point?
According to the Observer, on February 16, the European Union announced the launch of a "countervailing" investigation against CRRC Qingdao Sifang, a subsidiary of CRRC. The reason was that when the Chinese company participated in the bidding of Bulgaria, it submitted an "overly favorable**", which caused other bidders to have no chance of competition.
CRRC. It is reported that Bulgaria** plans to purchase 20 electric trains, and requires a 15-year maintenance agreement and staff training, with an estimated market value of 6100 million euros. As a result, CRRC Qingdao Sifang submitted 47 fewer ** than EU companies5%。According to the European Union, this is because China has provided 17500 million euros in subsidies, so the EU decided to launch an investigation. If it is ultimately determined that the four parties in the Middle East and Qingdao have used ** subsidies to gain an "undue advantage", the European Commission may block the Chinese company from winning the bid or issue a no-objection ruling under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation.
This is not the first time that the EU has cracked down on Chinese companies on the grounds of "countervailing", as in addition to electric trains, Chinese electric vehicles and wind turbines have also experienced similar encounters in Europe. The EU knows that through normal market competition, European companies can no longer resist Chinese companies occupying the EU market, so they can only use administrative means to formulate discriminatory policies to forcibly intervene in the free market order.
European Union. There are many reasons for the lack of competitiveness of EU firms, such as the lack of innovation capacity. Of course, more importantly, it has always been difficult for the EU to maintain true unity, let alone true strategic autonomy, resulting in the EU's decision-making being unable to conform to its own interests. For example, on the Ukraine issue, the EU was completely led by the nose by the United States, and completely cut off energy cooperation with Russia without any buffer, resulting in soaring energy costs and prominent inflation problems. In the final analysis, it is the EU's policymakers who are unable to maintain a pragmatic mindset, insist on strategic autonomy, and often dictate domestic and foreign policy ideologically. Therefore, no matter how the EU suppresses Chinese companies, its own problems still exist.
It is worth mentioning that on the same day that the EU announced the launch of a "countervailing" investigation against Chinese enterprises, it coincided with the meeting of Chinese and EU foreign ministers. This has to make people wonder whether the EU wants to give China a "dismissal" before the meeting. According to the Observer, on February 16, local time, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany, met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell at the request.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Borrell.
In the presence of Borrell, Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that in the face of the intensifying chaos in the world situation, China and the EU, as important international stabilizing forces, should work together to address the challenges. The two sides should respect each other's core concerns and adhere to the main tone of partnership and win-win cooperation. We will give full play to the dialogue mechanism in various fields, strengthen cooperation in areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence, and push forward the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
Borrell said on the spot that China's development is admirable and conforms to the logic of history. By implication, the EU acknowledges the fact that China's rise is a historical trend. Borrell also said that although there is competition between China and the EU, cooperation should also be strengthened. He supports the development of China-EU relations and normal bilateral economic and trade exchanges, and opposes "decoupling" from China.
Borrell. Borrell's words sound familiar, and Biden has made similar statements to China many times. Whether Borrell realizes the importance of win-win cooperation between China and the EU after his face-to-face meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, or whether he should follow the example of the United States and say one thing and do another, it depends on the actual actions of the EU in the future.
EU policymakers should fully recognize that there is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the EU, and that win-win cooperation is in their respective development interests. Conversely, if Central Europe were to be locked in a confrontation, it would only be the United States that would benefit. If the EU wants to get out of its current predicament, it should abandon its ideological bias against China, take a pragmatic view of China-EU relations, and adhere to strategic autonomy, rather than dancing with the United States.
EU-China relations. The United States is about to hold a ** at the end of the year, and if Trump returns to the White House, it will undoubtedly be another disaster for the European Union. At the moment when protectionism is making a comeback, Trump, who pursues "American interests first", will never regard the EU as an ally, but as an object of harvest or suppression, and it is very likely that the United States and Europe will break out again. At such a juncture, if the EU still chooses to confront China, it is tantamount to putting itself in a desperate situation.