Partnership can once again prove its mettle

That China might take advantage of the Republican administration's everything-is-mine policy to mend its ties with the European Union has been a concern of some US China-bashers these months. Even though that might appear to be what is happening, a critical question they shun is whether the EU is obliged to continue to toe the US line since it too has fallen prey to the administration's "America First" policy.

Basically what they demand from the bloc, which adopted "in varietate concordia", or united in diversity, as its official motto in 2000, is unconditional "loyalty in unity". In their view, the EU should not only swallow what the US gives it — be it exorbitant tariffs on its exports or criticism of its governance — but also more than willingly do the US' bidding — be it confronting China, Russia or any other party that the US sees as a thorn in its side. Even if that runs counter to the bloc's own interests and security.

It is undeniable that even some in the EU take that for granted, due to an ingrained belief that the "values", on which the transatlantic alliance is based, are more advanced than those of the US' rivals. This has led to the conviction the world should be divided into two camps, namely the "civilized" and the rest, based on these "values".

But this perception is confronted with the reality of the globalization of common challenges. The supposedly "civilized" view involves a zero-sum game, confrontation and mutual suspicion, while the views of the rest call for inclusive cooperation, communication and mutual respect. It should be evident that the latter is more appropriate to address the challenges of the times.

So it is natural that the EU member states have started softening their China rhetoric and probing the possibility of mending ties with China, now that the US' tariff war has opened their eyes to the fact that for the US it is a case of give to Caesar what is Caesar's — in the US administration's eyes it has a god-given right to tax the world as much as it wants.

There should be no doubt that it is the US that has pushed those economies to be more pragmatic in handling China-related issues, rather than China has been reaching out to them. Not to mention that many so-called economic and trade issues between China and these economies are products of the previous US administration's coercion of these parties under the flag of its "value diplomacy" for the purpose of forming a "united front" against China.

With the return of its "America First" successor, it is natural that the "united front" should shatter.

The increasingly intensive contacts and interactions between China and the EU in recent months not only serve their common interests, but also align with the expectation of the world.

The meeting between visiting Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in Paris last week marked a big step forward in the repairing of the Sino-EU economic and trade ties, with a broad range of subjects covered in their "focused, candid and in-depth" discussions.

Following the talks, the two sides have instructed their work teams to step up efforts to make economic and trade preparations for the important agenda between the two sides this year, said a Commerce Ministry spokesperson.

As the spokesperson said, the price commitment consultations between China and the EU on electric vehicles have entered the final stage, but efforts from both sides are still needed. The EU has proposed that new technical paths could be explored at the same time, and China will evaluate the feasibility of the EU's proposal from the legal and technical aspects.

So it is a crucial period for the two sides to carry on the positive momentum to step up efforts to find a solution acceptable to both and in a manner consistent with their respective laws and WTO rules.

China's export controls on rare earth products were also discussed, with Wang indicating that China attaches great importance to the EU's concerns and is willing to establish a green channel for qualified applications to speed up approval, and the working team has been instructed to maintain timely communication on this. In return, the EU was urged to take effective measures to facilitate, safeguard and promote compliant trade in high-tech products to China.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of China-EU ties. The two sides should review the fruitful development of the relationship, send a positive signal in support of multilateralism and free trade, and deepen pragmatic cooperation.