EU-China relations: The specter of Trump hangs over Munich as Beijing explores opportunities in Europe

“In these uncertain times, it is clear that America cannot retreat. America must stand strong for democracy. We must uphold international rules and norms and stand with our allies.” Harris said.

But on Sunday, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio painted a different picture of the future, saying, “I can’t speak for Donald Trump, but I think so.” [Trump] agree with what I say. ”

“I don’t think we should leave NATO, and I don’t think we should abandon Europe. But yes, I think there should be a change of direction. The United States needs to focus more on East Asia. That’s going to be the future of U.S. foreign policy for the next 40 years, and Europe has to wake up to that fact,” Vance said at a conference known as the “Davos of national defense.”

Against this background, China was removed from the summit’s agenda, and the presence of Chinese officials was less prominent than in previous years. Nevertheless, a sizable Chinese delegation remains active in Munich, participating in private and public events and capitalizing on European fears about a possible American withdrawal from the continental theater. I tried.

This speech contained many thinly veiled abuse directed at the United States, and implicitly threatened China not to cross Taiwan, which is a red line that China should not cross. Observers believe the tone was softer than Wang’s speech a year ago, partly because he has loosened up. .

People in the audience said Wang’s eyes were fixed on U.S. officials in the audience as he spoke about “promoting Sino-American relations along lines of mutual respect.”

“We are at a moment where cooperation, competition and competition, to varying degrees, are on every agenda,” former Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González told the South China Morning Post on the sidelines of the event. he said.

“I would say that China’s actions towards Russia had a slightly different tone than Wang Yi here…He did not talk about an open-ended partnership with Russia.”

The Chinese government has dispatched three delegations to the Bavarian capital, with one group led by Wang, a second group led by military personnel, and a third group led by former deputy foreign minister Fu Ying, the people said. It consists of think tankers and academics.

Other Chinese delegates met behind closed doors with European academics and lawmakers who have been sanctioned by the Chinese government, and discussed ways to talk and potentially lift the sanctions.

In a dimly lit room deep inside the Bayerischer Hof Palace, the China Center for Globalization (CCG), a state-backed think tank, hosted a roundtable to encourage “climate change cooperation in the era of great power politics.”

Germany: ‘Europe needs to strengthen its ability to protect itself’

This discussion on how China, the EU and the US can “embrace trilateral climate cooperation” in the current tense geopolitical environment includes German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan; A large number of Western government officials and academics attended, including noted historian Niall Ferguson; Graham Allison.

“I think climate is probably the most common threat to humanity. I hope we can move beyond our geopolitical differences…we have to work together,” said CCG President. Huiyao Wang said.

Hildegard Bentele, a German member of the European Parliament, has voiced opposition to Europe’s dependence on China for important minerals, but said, “The European Union should be more active in global cooperation, including with China.” I advocate that.”

“We hope to see more activity in international negotiations and in permanent negotiations with China,” Bentele said.

However, on the ground, the situation was a little more dire.

Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, became embroiled in a heated exchange with former diplomat Hu when he warned Beijing not to attack Taiwan.

“Attacking Taiwan would completely change our relationship with China. We clearly understand this,” Klingbeil said.

“You said Taiwan and Ukraine are different issues, and I agree, but I think they’re both relevant. We have a multilateral rules-based order. ” he said to Fu.

“Is it normal to change borders by military action? It has to be a clear no, it is not allowed to change borders by military action. ”

This statement received a severe rebuke from Mr. Fu. “I have to start by correcting Mr. Klingbeil,” he said, “but there is no border between the mainland and Taiwan.”

Asked whether China would accept a “code of conduct” for the region, Foreign Minister Wang brushed off the host’s questions about Taiwan and the South China Sea and laughed in his face.

At private events, there was heated debate over autonomous islands. In one instance, a prominent EU lawmaker became embroiled in a full-scale spat with a Chinese academic over the issue, attendees said.

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Why Taiwan is a “life and death matter” for China: Cui Tiankai talks about US-China tensions

Why Taiwan is a “life and death matter” for China: Cui Tiankai talks about US-China tensions

“I think you know him better than I do because you’re from the Washington Post,” Hu told reporters. “And since you are a journalist, you must have heard the reaction of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. There is no need for me to repeat it.”

Close ties between China and Russia were the subtext of much of the conference’s discussion.

“Geopolitics is the first thing that comes to mind in the conversations I’ve had so far. China is part of it, Russia is part of it… how different players in the world are viewed. We found that they have very nuanced differences when it comes to competition,” EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager told reporters on the sidelines of the event.

China and ‘good friend’ Hungary strengthen police and security ties

A series of European officials, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have warned that China is watching closely to see whether Western countries remain united on Ukraine.

“All other adversaries of authoritarianism are watching very closely to see whether democracies come together,” she said.

“There is room for everyone because we need to decarbonize the world, but if there is no fairness in the terms of trade, then trade will take place in a non-cooperative manner, resulting in unilateral efforts to control it. Measures will be taken.”

“This is the message the EU is sending to China. [do something about overcapacity] Otherwise, we will have to use the tools at our disposal to fight what Europe sees as unfair conditions. ”