The president of the European Commission criticized on Tuesday the “military posture” and the “policy of economic coercion” that China has adopted, and alerted the member states of the “divide and rule” strategy followed by Beijing.
“China has increased its military posture and also expanded its policy of economic coercion, as we have already seen, from Lithuania to Australia,” Ursula von der Leyen said at the start of the European Parliament session in Strasbourg. (France).
The president of the Commission justified the accusations with the military exercises that Beijing has carried out in recent weeks, specifically near the border with India and in the Taiwan Strait: “The European Union’s ‘One China’ policy is peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and strongly oppose any unilateral disruption of the status quo, including through the use of force.”
Beijing’s actions show that the country has “turned the page from the era of reform and opening up and turned to one of security and control,” von der Leyen added.
“It is necessary to recognize – and say it – that the actions of the Communist Party of China today accompany the long-explained ambitions of hardening the strategic position of the country”, completed the president of the European Commission before the MEPs.
The only topic of von der Leyen’s speech was China and what could – and should be in his opinion – the relationship of the 27 as a whole towards Beijing.
As he explained to the MEPs, von der Leyen conveyed to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, that there are opportunities that can be seized with closer relations with China, but there are also insurmountable red lines, such as the “condemnation of human rights violations in Xinjiang” or the need for transparency about the subsidies it grants to Chinese companies and respect for intellectual property.
For years, the People’s Republic of China has been accused by various non-governmental organizations of human rights violations and even genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghur population. There are reports of detentions in concentration camps and disrespect for basic rights in a region where it is speculated that there are around 12 million people from this ethnic minority.
Ursula von der Leyen also called for the union of the Member States against and for a “strong coordination between the European institutions” to “support a divide and conquer strategy” that the People’s Republic of China is following: “It is time for the Union European Union to show that it is unity that makes us stronger”.
To do so, the 27 have to “look at economic resilience”, that is, through diversifying and strengthening other supply chains, analyzing the vulnerabilities of the European economy and strengthening “key areas: energy, health and pharmaceuticals , food security and defense capabilities”.
Source: TSF
