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Letters | As China’s global role expands, the US is increasingly an observer
- Readers discuss America’s new role a global observer, and China’s arrival as a great power
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Whether it is French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China or CIA director William Burns’ visit to Saudi Arabia, the past weeks have underlined one thing: the United States is merely watching from the sidelines now, in contrast to its previous role of global broker and policeman.
Now, things happen without the US, and China seems to be increasingly taking over the reins. The Central Intelligence Agency’s Burns expressed frustration during his trip earlier this month, reportedly saying the US felt blindsided by Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement with Iran and Syria.
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European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, on her trip to Beijing, emphasised that the European Union and China shouldn’t pursue a policy of decoupling, but rather seek de-risking. Europe has been dependent on the US for security over the past decades, but that does not mean that Europe will necessarily follow the US when it comes to China.
Macron conveyed to China that it must put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Macron is perhaps worried about the direction the US Congress is taking on China and does not want to be dragged into an ideological feud. And it’s not just France. Most of Europe quietly agrees.
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As Macron made clear, the EU will not follow the US blindly on China. While there are calls by many in Europe for the EU to present a united front vis-à-vis China, the EU won’t be able to reach a consensus. The EU, in fact, does not need a common foreign policy towards China.
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