Opinion | EU-China summit showcases Europe’s growing disillusionment with Beijing

Name: EU leaders warn Xi of ‘negative consequences’ if China imposes national security law in Hong Kong
Uploaded: 2020-06-27T01:00:08.000Z
Duration: 59 s
Description: EU leaders warn Xi of ‘negative consequences’ if China imposes national security law in Hong Kong

The summit marked a hardening of EU attitudes despite Chinese courtship, driven by Beijing’s ‘strings attached’ coronavirus aid and misinformation, and geopolitical concerns around the South China Sea and Hong Kong

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Brian Bridges

Published: 9:00am, 27 Jun 2020Updated: 9:17am, 27 Jun 2020

When the global coronavirus pandemic finally subsides, the new normal will show that China has lost much, though admittedly not all, of its allure for Europeans. The virtual summit between European Union and Chinese leaders on Monday was a key marker in this respect.

This time last year, I was asked by the Asia-Europe Institute at the University of Malaya to discuss European reactions to China’s high-profile Belt and Road Initiative. The general thrust of the policies of the EU and its member states towards China in the 21st century has been on obtaining economic benefits, yet I found no unified response to the belt and road, with reactions varying widely across the EU from true believers to sceptics.

One year on, the Belt and Road Initiative has largely disappeared from European policy agendas and media interest, but the controversy over the pandemic’s origins and spread has not replaced the debate over the initiative; it has merely been laid on top.

In the process, however, the European debate has become much more polarised. Instead of multiple approaches, EU members now basically have only two positions: those who see China as a potential lifesaver in several senses of the word, and those who are increasingly suspicious and distrustful of Beijing’s ambitions and strategies.

Moreover, despite China’s efforts to court certain EU states, the balance has been shifting towards the latter group. While few in Europe would openly endorse the harsh rhetoric against China coming from the United States, the mood in Europe has undoubtedly changed.

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EU leaders warn Xi of ‘negative consequences’ if China imposes national security law in Hong Kong

Many central and eastern European states continue to look to China for economic and medical support, particularly as the EU had been slow off the mark in arranging financial support packages for its more ailing members to cope with the health and economic damage from the pandemic.