European Union calls for united trade and tech front against ‘rival’ China
- ‘Landmark’ paper appeals for more reciprocal economic relationship with bloc’s biggest trading partner
- Document is a wake-up call for those in Beijing banking on EU ties offsetting trade war pressure from the US, analyst says
The European Union is urging its leaders to take a tougher stand on mounting China-related trade, technology and geostrategic concerns, a major step that could overshadow the country’s relations with Europe for years to come, analysts said.
Following Washington’s lead, the European Commission, the EU’s executive, released a paper on Tuesday which for the first time labelled China an “economic competitor” and “a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance”.
The paper urged EU leaders meeting in Brussels next week to adopt a 10-point action plan that would establish a more balanced and reciprocal economic relationship with China while solidifying the resolve of the 28 EU member states to counter the Asian country’s influence, the bloc’s top trading partner.
The call comes just over a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Italy and France and ahead of the annual China-EU summit in Brussels on April 9 that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will co-chair.
In Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang acknowledged competition existed with the EU, but termed it healthy in nature.
“I want to emphasise that we should take a correct attitude toward such benign competition and avoid treating each other as an adversary,” Lu said.