China is wooing Europe with technology, investments - and a smile. But anyone who looks behind China's rhetoric will recognize the conditions: no criticism, no questions, no objections.
China is wooing Europe with technology, investments - and a smile. But anyone who looks behind China's rhetoric will recognize the conditions: no criticism, no questions, no objections.
China is wooing Europe - but anyone who disagrees will be thrown out
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32374201
The original article in German is here.
- Victor Gao, ex-interpreter to politician Deng Xiaoping and now Beijing's mouthpiece, promotes China's line in the West.
- In the midst of economic problems, China is trying to win back Europe as a partner - on the condition that it does not criticize Beijing.
Where other Chinese experts remain silent because the new anti-espionage law forces them to be cautious, Victor Gao [once Deng Xiaoping's interpreter, now vice president of a government-affiliated think tank and figurehead for China's propaganda] talks. And how. Whether CNN, BBC or al-Jazeera - everyone gets it from him, the party line, eloquently packaged and charmingly served.
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His current mission: to woo Europe, while relations with the West are crumbling under the weight of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, corona and closing ranks with Russia.
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Victor Gao demands: "Wake up from your American nightmare." And immediately delivers the Chinese offer: less morality, more market. China as a "resource", not a rival.
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But behind the smile lurks geopolitical calculation.
After all, NATO has long been seen as the enemy, and Western democracies are described in China's state media as decadent, refugee-ridden orders. At the same time, Gao preaches closing ranks in interviews - as long as Europe refrains from any criticism of Beijing.
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Victor Gao, who translated Deng's words into the international arena in the 1980s, embodies China's transformation: from an aspiring reformist state to an autocratically controlled superpower under Xi Jinping.
What used to be openness is now demarcation - and yet: economic hardship is forcing China back towards rapprochement.
With the economic downturn in its own country, youth unemployment, the real estate crisis, demographic decline and mountains of debt, it now wants Europe back as a partner. Or at least as a market.
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Gao describes Europe as a continent on the brink of collapse: "You have no more money at all," he says. China, on the other hand? Ready to help. With experience, technology and growth. A kind of development aid - made in China.
But the price is high: no criticism. No geopolitics. No questions asked.
Human rights? Tibet? Xinjiang? Are elegantly omitted. Anyone who raises them is either a "gangster" financed by the USA or a naïve idealist. Gao prefers to sell the high-speed train network, the next 6G expansion and the bubbling growth figures.
Problems? "Of course there are," he says - and immediately changes the subject.
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Victor Gao says that Europe is too small to be an adversary.
But perhaps this is precisely Europe's underestimated strength: not wanting to dominate, but to mediate between the extremes - without selling out.
Because Gao is right about one thing: the world as we know it is changing rapidly. But whether China's charm offensive is more than just a tactical smile will be measured by whether Beijing wants genuine partnership - or just a Europe that shuts up and pays up.
Tying oneself fully to China to escape the US will put countries in the exact same bind they are in now, just under a different regime. The important thing for 3rd countries is diversification, relying on a balance of local, regional and international trade partners.
US unjustifiably attacking EU with tariffs, and seizing Greenland to be in a better position to attack it militarily, is several aggression steps above trading with China opening its markets to Europe. Wine, cheese, Airbus, autos. Europeans can gain a much better standard of living than Americans from Chinese clothing, very cheap energy (solar with 90% of the deployment costs in local economy) and batteries that can actually reindustrialize Europe compared to submitting to US extortionist energy.
The most important benefit of accepting Chinese market opening, and accepting Chinese FDI, is forcing the US to capitulate from a depression that is limited to US. Europe can be much more aggressive on Boeing and construction/farming equipment from US. Can appeal to Japan to fill in the latter void, but China likely capable. US software licenses and playstores, and social media fines/revenue taxes. Can coordinate with their banks on aggressive shorting of US financializations before announcing punishments.
US behaviour only improves after it is destroyed, and EU/global capital can help rebuild it cheaply. It does not improve with EU meekness towards US.
While EU programming towards Russophobia is deeply ingrained, 2021 relations were far more productive. EU cannot hope for better US relations without a return to normal trade with Russia, which any rational people would understand as eliminating any counter threat from Russia resulting from insane Russophobia. EU can spend a lot on its own defense industry for jobs and financialization purposes, and this is more likely due to people's Russophobia programming, but there is so much more productive spending, including subsidizing industry, such as Airbus as an example.
China is looking like a real stable partner in a world of instability instigated by the US president. The pitfalls of putting all of one's industrial base eggs in one basket remain an issue.
Did you forget the part where Russia is currently attacking europe?