The EU Commission wants Alignment with the U.S. on China

American experts and European transatlanticists have hailed EU Commission chief von der Leyen’s speech on China policy in the highest terms. No wonder – because it fits in well with the U.S. policy of containment.

The U.S. has long pursued the goal of containing and isolating China. So far with little success – the Middle Kingdom maintains close relations with Europe, Africa and, above all, Russia. But now the EU is swinging to the hard U.S. line.

The whole EU? No. Germany, France and Spain are still hesitating – and rightly so.

But Commission President von der Leyen has initiated a change of course with a keynote speech on China policy. She does not yet want the “decoupling” that the U.S. is propagating.

But with her “de-risking,” she is preparing Europe for the increasingly confrontational U.S. policy against China, which could lead us directly into an economic war 2.0.

If Biden tightens the thumbscrews and imposes sanctions against China, von der Leyen is likely to follow without a murmur – just as she did with the sanctions against Russia.

It is not only in China policy that the EU and its German leader follow American wishes. In Ukraine, too, it is practicing anticipatory obedience.

European military aid is being systematically increased; recently, the former peace union has even mutated into a weapons union with its own production for Kiev.

Brussels has also declared its willingness to support Ukraine in the war against Russia until “victory” is achieved. And it also wants to finance the reconstruction!
Keeping the USA’s back free

Thus the EUropäer hold the USA the back freely, so that itself strengthened around China “to care for” and – in time for the presidential election in the autumn 2024 – from Ukraine to withdraw can.

The fact that elections will also be held in EUropa – even as early as spring 2024 – apparently does not matter. Because the leading EU politicians do not wear European, but transatlantic glasses.

If they practiced “Europe first”, they would have to oppose anti-Chinese policies – because China is an important trading partner for EUropa, and even the most important one for Germany!

Not in Europe’s interest

It would also be in Europe’s interest to end the Ukraine war before the 2024 European elections. How do you want to run an election campaign with war and misery, how do you want to pay the horrendous costs?

But this is not an issue in Brussels. Even the fact that two mega-conflicts – Ukraine/Russia and China – could finally overwhelm Germany and the EU is not discussed – but accepted as if it were a given.

Von der Leyen and the transatlanticists follow the Americans’ “Grand Strategy”; they have no strategy of their own. Yet the EU wanted to gain “strategic autonomy” – also from the United States. Instead, it allows itself to be harnessed.

In geopolitical jargon, this is called alignment – or Western shoulder-to-shoulder. Meanwhile, China and Russia are propagating a new, “multipolar” world order – without the USA and the EU…

The original post (in German) is here. See also Von der Leyen auf Anti-China-Kurs (in German)