Exclusive | China should avoid moves seen as ‘trying to split Europe’, former European Commission chief says
- Romano Prodi singles out Beijing-led ‘16+1’ platform, saying it isn’t in the country’s interest to create division
- He also calls on EU to build a ‘shared decision-making process’ with China for projects under the Belt and Road Initiative
China should avoid diplomatic moves that could be seen as dividing Europe, as it would not be in Beijing’s long-term interest, former European Commission president Romano Prodi says.
Highlighting the need for China to respect Europe’s unity, Prodi singled out another initiative, the “16+1” platform, which Beijing has used to deal directly with a group of Central and Eastern European nations, providing financial support to both its EU and non-EU members.
“I’m worried about the 16+1 [platform], not because China must not have a special interest for some countries – even more so for the eastern part of Europe because it’s closer to China in some ways – but why institutionalise it?” said Prodi, a two-time Italian prime minister.
Prodi added that the 16+1 grouping gave “a message that in some ways … [China is] trying to split Europe. I think it’s not a long-term Chinese interest to split Europe”.
Western Europe has viewed the China-led platform with scepticism, though the EU has been accused by some Eastern European countries of not doing enough to boost their economies.