With the “Global Gateway” project, the European Union wants to keep in touch with China, which is becoming ever more powerful. But there is criticism from the federal government.
Berlin/Brussels – The year 2022 marks a “turning point”: Corona, the Ukraine conflict, mega-inflation and the resulting energy crisis are putting geopolitical cooperation to a hard test. Trade relations between the major powers are not free of tensions, and competition is obviously becoming tougher.
The rivalry with China also plays a major role in the simulation games of the western world. After all, the Middle Kingdom is gaining more and more influence, not least because of the New Silk Road infrastructure project (“Belt and Road Initiative”/BRI) launched in 2013. China builds or finances roads, railways, power plants and other things along old trade routes and in partner countries. Critics, however, warn the developing countries involved of a debt trap, political dependency and a lack of environmental protection. China is also investing massively worldwide, for example buying shares in major companies and parts of national infrastructure. In Germany, a controversial deal at the Port of Hamburg recently caused an uproar.
The countries of the EU also no longer want to accept the growing influence of China. The EU wants to compete with the New Silk Road with the “Global Gateway” project, which will be presented for the first time in December 2021. The key points of the project relate to what are probably the most important economic policy issues of the present: climate protection, energy transformation, digitization. But it is entirely unclear to what extent China’s growing influence can be curbed by such programs. Because many states like to work with China, which does not impose any onerous preconditions for its help, such as the protection of human rights.
Federal government with fire letter: “Global Gateway” as an answer to China’s Silk Road project
The “old continent” is also apparently a little behind schedule with the implementation of the multi-billion dollar Global Gateway program. The government politicians Annalena Baerbock (Greens/Foreign Minister), Robert Habeck (Greens/Economics Minister), Volker Wissing (FDP/Transport Minister) and Svenja Schulze (SPD/Development Minister) have now sent a kind of “fire letter” to the EU Commission, describes that Handelsblatt.
The report includes passages from the letter that should be seen as a “reminder” to Europe’s leadership: Global Gateway is an “important geopolitical instrument that is of great importance for strengthening the strategic and global influence of the EU”. This is particularly true in view of the global competition between systems, according to the further formulation in the letter from the German government politicians.
Global Gateway: Baerbock, Habeck and Co. appeal to the EU Commission
Compared to the Handelsblatt Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock explained: “The ideas and concepts are there, now it’s a matter of quickly putting the first lighthouse projects into practice.” to have model. We also have to show other countries that we, as the EU, can make better offers – transparently, on an equal footing, without binding contracts.”
One point of criticism of the letter from Berlin: Up until now, development projects that the EU had undertaken in any case have primarily been listed in Brussels under the Global Gateway label. Instead, however, it is crucial that “not only projects that are already planned are relabeled”, but that “new, visible showcase projects” are created.
Specifically, the German traffic light government has apparently developed measures to counteract China’s global influence. A list of 20 points could help Europe to get the ambitious project going. The following “lighthouse projects” should bring long-term advantages for Europe:
- Support the African countries Botswana and Namibia to build a large solar power plant.
- Construction of a new train route between the landlocked country of Burkina Faso and the Ghanaian coast.
- Planning of a wind turbine near Ghana’s capital Accra.
- Another focus of Global Gateway will be the Balkans. A wind farm is to be built in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- The federal government has allegedly also chosen Serbia as a partner: The mining of lithium is to be promoted there in order to strengthen European battery production (and reduce dependence on China for raw materials).
- Global Gateway could also strengthen EU influence in Asia. Europe should help to expand transport links between Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
- Uzbekistan, the largest country in Central Asia, is said to be interested in greater EU involvement – and supposedly want to play a role as a hub for trade and cultural penetration between Europe and Asia.
- In addition, Global Gateway could participate in an underwater cable that connects Chile to Australia (and should go into operation as early as 2025).
- Another focus of the EU should be on Latin America: The region is rich in raw materials that are sometimes required for green technologies.
“Global Gateway”: Europe and China between partnership and rivalry
EU Development Minister Josep Borrell announced in Brussels at the end of November that the EU had to “invest faster, more and smarter in Africa”. As a European response to China’s strategic commitment, a total of around 300 billion euros are to be mobilized as part of the Global Gateway Initiative. A central point for the EU is the hope of securing Europe’s energy needs.
To what extent are the signs between the European Union and China pointing towards confrontation overall? Not clear. The geopolitical situation is tense as a result of the corona pandemic and the Ukraine conflict, markets worldwide and thus also citizens are struggling with increased prices and living costs. Economic relations between Europe, the USA and China have also become icier – not least because China has so far remained silent on Putin’s war of aggression.
EU plans strategic investments – with China, but also against China
As the Handelsblatt Germany is so far the only EU country that has submitted an internally coordinated proposal for global gateway projects to the EU. The input of various companies was also reportedly taken into account in the paper.
But regardless of a possible trade war with China, there were also signs of rapprochement at the beginning of December: both China and the European Union called for further expansion of their strategic partnership. “The more unstable the international situation becomes, and the more acute the challenges facing the world, the more important China-EU relations become,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit by EU Council President Charles Michel. “The EU is ready to become a reliable and predictable cooperation partner for China,” Michel said.
#Germany #remain #equal #footing