My Take | EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is a force of destruction
- From Ukraine to Palestine, Beijing does not hold a candle to the European Commission president as a global ‘destabilising force’
Ursula von der Leyen must not have received the memo. Or has the European Commission president gone completely rogue? She has been in full-on pugilist mode, throwing facts-free punches at China such as claiming Beijing’s support for Hamas. The continent most in need of an economic boost to halt decline is led by sinophobes like von der Leyen intent on shooting themselves in the foot.
Meanwhile, presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are meeting at the Apec summit this week as both sides signal cooperative moves in nuclear non-proliferation, limiting military use of artificial intelligence, their climate change agenda and US farm purchases. Australian leader Anthony Albanese just ended the first head-of-state visit to Beijing from Down Under in seven years, in a trip both sides have hailed as a success in resetting severely strained relations.
William, the Prince of Wales, will take his annual Earthshot Prize awards to China, to engage a country in which his father, King Charles, has refused to set foot over a lifetime. Ostensibly to promote global environmental cooperation, the visit must have had full backing from 10 Downing Street.
Von der Leyen has confirmed a coming China-European Union summit while promising to be confrontational and doubling down on “de-risking” economic ties with Beijing.
She has been rubbing her hands with glee as the European Union opens a trade probe on Chinese electric-vehicle imports and threatens a trade war.