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European Union leaders focused on how they should deal with China at the meeting in Slovenia on Tuesday. The talks will continue this Wednesday at a summit in which the leaders of neighboring Balkan countries will also participate. The tension between the Europeans and the Chinese was heightened when one imposed sanctions on the other.
This Tuesday, the leaders of the European Union met at Brdo Castle in Slovenia. It is the first time they have done so since US troops withdrew from Afghanistan and since France lost the multi-million dollar submarine deal with Australia. According to the nations that are part of this union, these events have highlighted the need for Europe to develop greater autonomy in defense.
However, the central theme of the meeting was how the EU should deal with China and the United States. The relationship between the 27-nation trading bloc and China is strained. And the increase in energy prices by the Chinese gave much to talk about. This topic had not been addressed as a group for over a year.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that “we have all observed what happened in Afghanistan, what happened in the Indo-Pacific, what happened with China.”
In the case of the Asian country, the EU considers that Beijing seeks to erode the West’s technological advantage. In effect, the 27 leaders have established their own strategy to increase their presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter the growing power of China.
Michel stated that “we will pursue our own interests, in particular with regard to China, which we view as a competitor, a partner and a systemic rival.”
The European Union is the world’s largest trading bloc, followed by China. Thus, it has the power to establish rules that can impact world politics, beyond its borders. However, it has failed to coordinate a common foreign and military policy. This has resulted in a weakened influence.
Indeed, the President of the European Council assured that “drawing on the lessons of recent crises, we are committed to consolidating our strengths and strengthening our resilience by reducing our critical dependencies. The Union needs to increase its capacity to act autonomously”.
And French President Emmanuel Macron added that “we must analyze how Europe should address the challenges in its neighborhood, the crises that exist, its own security and continue to work in good faith with historical partners and allies.”
Michel dismissed the meeting saying that “our unity is a very strong asset, the multilateral approach is the DNA of the European Union.” This Wednesday, the 27 nations have scheduled a summit with leaders of neighboring Balkan countries.
Sanctions on China
In the latest talks between the countries that make up the bloc, a massive investment agreement was reached with Beijing. However, they also passed sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights abuses in the western Xinjiang region. These sanctions were imposed by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
But Beijing flatly denied the allegations. And he proceeded to sanction the legislators of the European Parliament. It did so by freezing the approval of a recently agreed EU-China investment deal.
With AP and local media
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