EU-China Relations: Smoke, Mirrors and Reality

Equally notable is that Beijing sent the most senior envoy to Greece and Spain, generally not considered as the EU’s most influential members, while a lesser figure has visited what are generally seen as key member states inside the EU. It’s still unclear why this is so: but those that gave red carpet treatment to Wang may feel somewhat cheated.

And indeed, the pit stops by Wang Yi have yielded no tangible results. We should separate public pantomime from content. In France, the Netherlands,Norway or Germany, heads of government or ministers yielded to the bizarre "elbow bump" rendered necessary by Covid-19, but which gives Chinese propaganda wonderful pictures of Siamese brothers seemingly joined. In every way, France went furthest in this direction, because the French President provided his customary enthusiasm for photo contact, but also because Laurent Fabius, the former Foreign Affairs Minister and current President of the Constitutional Court went out of his way to side with China as a guarantor of multilateralism and a "balancer" of the United States. According to the official Chinese press, his words "echoed" Wang Yi’s. In the year when China broke the international treaty over Hong Kong, it was a sad display from a defender of constitutional law… There was no pushback or public display from other French political parties: this shows the current insularity of French politics. Oddly, Italy, which only 17 months ago was the first G7 country to sign a Belt and Road MoU with China, was the most lukewarm: Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte only took a phone call from Wang Yi, and Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi Di Maio successfully escaped the elbow bump during a photo op.

We mention these details because part of Beijing’s game is always about appearances – both for domestic consumption and in a customary imposition of rites to foreign dignitaries. The propaganda machine needs its newspeak and confirming pictures. It sufficiently got them in Europe. Its cyber machine also ensures that on top of Google searches, views from China’s MFA and official press usually come first, drowning out the communication by other governments. The CCP is a great believer in human conditioning at all levels.

But China’s headway did not extend further. Retracing the same stops on China’s tour, Wang Yi was faced with discreet or not so discreet opposition on many topics. In France, the opening of a second Taiwan representative office was announced a few days before the visit. Emmanuel Macron professed his preference for European 5G solutions on the eve of Wang’s arrival. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian officially criticized China on the South China Sea, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and human rights, and reiterated the "systemic rival" designation by the EU that China has been keen to suppress. Where Wang Yi vaguely broached multilateralism, blandly referred to the possibility of signing a free trade agreement with the EU, and used his French stop for a strong attack on the United States and "extremist forces", Le Drian coolly asked him about market access in China including for the agri-food industry, aerospace and civilian nuclear energy. In Italy, official statements emphasized Hong Kong. In the Netherlands, a parliamentary majority invited Wang Yi to come and discuss human rights – invitation declined. Dutch FM Stef Blok raised human rights, Hong Kong and the need to hold elections there, Xinjiang, Tibet and China’s national security law.

Germany presides this EU semester, and therefore holds its cards close to its chest in anticipation of the coming virtual summit with China.

One could go on. But the other reality is that, apart from vague talk, Wang Yi appears to have made no new offer or concession on any issue raised or on the economic crux of the EU-China relationship – where China would more effectively balance the mounting criticism of its political and strategic behavior. In effect, Europe and China are currently talking past each other. Managing to threaten Norway and the Czech during a single visit, as well as casting doubt on the origins of the coronavirus, is a performance which should alert us that "wolf warrior diplomacy", although it is now toned down, did not originate with some hot-headed ambassadors.

At this stage, it is likely that the European principals, from Brussels to Berlin and other capitals, still hope to negotiate breakthroughs on economic bread and butter issues: these are one of the raisons d’être of the European Union. To their credit, not a single European concession has surfaced during Wang Yi’s tour. These same leaders should remain alert not only to the fact that rule of law is the other pillar of the EU’s identity, but that the PRC may well frustrate them on both counts.

Copyright : Heiko Junge / NTB Scanpix / AFP