Holier-than-thou posturing only reflects aimless drifting

The European Union has long aspired to be a stabilizing force in global affairs. That ambition, however, was shown to be a pie in the sky at a forum of the European Union Institute for Security Studies on Sept 3. In her speech at the event, the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, falsely cast China as a willing "enabler" of Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine and framed Beijing's global engagement as an assault on Europe's cherished values.

Her remarks betray a mindset trapped in Cold War binaries — an "us versus them" narrative that may play well in Washington but does little to advance the EU's own ambition to independently play a major role in global affairs.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun denounced the statement for being "full of ideological bias without basic historical common sense". By suggesting that China has taken sides in Europe's "war", Kallas disregarded Beijing's consistent stance that it stands on the side of peace, opposes escalation and calls for dialogue. More troubling, she disrespected the history of World War II.

Eighty years ago, the Chinese people endured staggering human and material losses to resist Japanese aggression. Chinese military and civilian casualties amounted to 35 million, one-third of the total casualties among all countries during WWII, which is no footnote to the World Anti-Fascist War but reflective of China's significant contribution to the defeat of the fascist forces. Commemorations of that victory in Beijing on Sept 3 were designed not to draw lines, but to unite, and to honor the fallen and renew a commitment to "remember history, cherish peace, and create a better future".

Kallas should realize that her rhetoric risks undermining the very lessons Europe ought to hold dearest: that division and prejudice invite conflict, and that solidarity across nations is one of the surest paths to peace.

President Xi Jinping, in a meeting with EU leaders in July, urged that China-EU relations should "provide more stability and certainty for the world" through mutual respect, openness, and cooperation.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi, likewise, has stressed that China and Europe are partners, not rivals, and that Europe's current challenges "have never come — and will never come — from China". Beijing has consistently supported European integration and welcomed the EU's pursuit of strategic autonomy.

What has Europe offered in return? Too often, a split personality.

In July, Kallas herself told Wang that the EU remains committed to partnership and to the one-China principle. Barely two months later, she has denounced China as being part of an alliance of ideological rivals. This double-talk reveals less about China than it does about Europe's own lack of unity and confidence. Trapped between Washington's demands and its own anxieties, the EU risks posturing abroad while fumbling its responsibilities at home.

The media has already noted this pattern. Politico recently warned of a looming "century of humiliation" for the EU, evoking the term once applied to China in the 19th century. Mocked for its "summer of submission" to US tariffs and sidelined at major global summits, Europe is struggling to demonstrate the geopolitical weight it claims. Against this backdrop, Kallas' speech sounded less like a declaration of strength than a cry of insecurity.

The choice before Europe is not between aligning with China or with the United States. It is between perpetuating ideological confrontation or embracing pragmatic cooperation. The world is shifting toward multipolarity, whether Brussels likes it or not. China, for its part, has made it clear that it seeks partnership on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, and respect for history.

Europe would do well to shed its prejudice. Kallas' words, unfortunately, point in the opposite direction.

What Europe needs is less posturing and more wisdom — less talk of confrontation and more commitment to building the stable, cooperative world that its people, and indeed all nations, deserve.

- Li Yang, China Daily