EU should not accept hand-me-down judgments of China from Washington

Given the vast common ground that China and the European Union share, especially on economic globalization and free trade, there has been hope that, with a new leadership, the EU will work with China to push forward their pragmatic cooperation and resolve the differences that exist between them through dialogue.

The reelection of Donald Trump as US president has added a sense of urgency for China and the EU to work together to find a coordinated response to what is expected to be aggressive US trade policies. Trump imposed punitive tariffs on key industries in both China and the EU during his first term, and pledged in his campaign to impose hefty tariffs of more than 60 percent on Chinese imports, and a 10 percent blanket tariff on all imported goods including those from Europe.

That the US president-elect has warned the EU it will have to "pay a big price" for not buying enough US exports should have given the members of the European Parliament pause for thought in deciding who will take up posts on the European Commission's next leadership team. They should have second thoughts if they went into the hearings that began in Brussels on Nov 4 seeking to decouple the bloc from China.

Maros Sefcovic, the EU's commissioner-designate for trade and economic security, has described China as the most challenging trading partner of the 27-member bloc. Though Sefcovic advocates for removing trade barriers and promoting free and fair trade, he has taken a tough position on China, accusing the country of not providing a level playing field and fair market access to European businesses, which, in his view, is "threatening our industry in the European Union".

Such politically motivated presumptions are wrong, of course, and will only cast a shadow over future China-EU economic and trade cooperation if they are translated into policies.

The EU has already imposed hefty tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles starting this month, and the last thing the two sides need at the moment is an escalation of trade tensions that may hamper a negotiated settlement of the trade dispute. After all, a two-front trade war, with the US and China, does not in any way serve the EU's own interests.

China and the EU, with their annual trade volume reaching nearly $800 billion, have shared interests that far outweigh their differences, and such a mutually beneficial bond marked by interdependence should not be severed by bias or political short-sightedness.

That negotiators from the two sides are still in talks on EV price undertakings, and China and France have resumed discussions on the duties Beijing has imposed on European brandy imports indicate the two sides are committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultations, and working for mutual benefit and common development.

Attention should be given to guard against attempts by China hawks within the EU to position the country as a major threat to the bloc's geopolitical security, which risks shaking the foundation of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

The EU's foreign policy chief-designate Kaja Kallas, in a recent confirmation hearing, claimed that "China needs to also feel a higher cost" for keeping Russia supplied with technology needed for its "special military operation" in Ukraine, arguing that "without China's support, Russia would not be able to continue its war with the same force".

Such rhetoric, which reflects the Cold-War mentality that has reared its ugly head in Europe, has no basis in facts, and only sows seeds of division and mistrust between China and the EU. It could also compromise efforts to find a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The remarks are also provocative as they are meant to pit China, which is not a party to the conflict, against Europe in the hope of fueling animosity against the country. This goes against the consensus the two sides have reached to strengthen communication and coordination on global affairs and oppose camp-based confrontation.

It is to be hoped that the new EU leadership team will quickly rise above such prejudiced and ill-considered judgments and look at China without using a distorted ideological lens.