EU should 'rebalance' its mindset towards China

At the 25th China-EU Summit in Beijing, which celebrated 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides, President Xi Jinping put forward three propositions for the future development of China-EU relations that I – an EU citizen who has lived and worked in China for nearly half a century – found realistically attainable, assuming both sides share a committed mindset. And that remains the challenge.

I would like to point out that irrespective of all the widely perceived bureaucratic and regulatory excesses of the apparatchik class in Brussels, the EU has been an overall political and economic success since six European nations signed the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951. EU citizens' free movement within the bloc, even after the horrors of World War II, shows how much ground has been covered by the grouping.

China and the EU have a combined share of around 33 percent of the global GDP, compared to around 25 percent share of the US. That's why both Beijing and Brussels should cherish their economically influential positions as vital bastions of multilateralism in an era of rising unilateralism, protectionism, and the weaponization of tariffs that undermine fair trade.

During his meeting with the EU's top duo in Beijing on Tuesday, Xi put forward three sensible propositions for the future development of China-EU relations. One, both sides should uphold mutual respect and consolidate the positioning of China-EU relations as a partnership. Two, they should uphold openness and cooperation, and properly manage differences and frictions. Lastly, both should practice multilateralism and uphold international rules and order.

I share Xi's view that both sides should properly handle disputes and frictions through dialogue, consultation, and deepened cooperation.

Dialogue is the sine qua non for peaceful relations between nations with different political, social and cultural value systems.

During her stay in Beijing, according to international newswires, von der Leyen said that China-EU ties had reached an "inflection point".

"Inflection point" and "rebalancing" bilateral ties seem to be Brussels' latest buzzwords concerning China-EU relations. "Decoupling" and "de-risking" were previously in vogue. But whether the relations will develop in the right direction in the future depends on whether the EU is willing to meet China halfway.

Von der Leyen also stated that Beijing's ties with Moscow were now the "determining" factor in the EU's relations with China.

I find this stance rather questionable. Why box oneself into a corner by exaggerating the importance of just one aspect of China's foreign policies as far as the overall China-EU relationship is concerned?

Unlike the EU, China has launched a peace initiative at the UN ("Friends for Peace"), while Brussels shares responsibility for the conflict, as it ignored Russia's legitimate security concerns that ultimately led to Moscow's "special military operation".

The China-EU relationship is far more important in political and economic terms than to be singularly determined by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As an adherent of the School of Realism, I hope that political sobriety will finally prevail.

What is urgently needed, I believe, is for EU politicians to rebalance their mindsets toward China. Start by accepting that Brussels needs to get down from its high horse of morality and address real issues that impact the over 1.8 billion people in China and the EU, which accounts for 22 percent of humanity. Ensure that they can benefit from affordable goods on sale in their respective markets. Tariffs, such as the one on eco-friendly cars, make them less affordable to consumers, especially those in the low-income groups. According to the European Commission, in 2024, there were around 93 million people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion, which is equivalent to 21 percent of the total population.

Mindsets are crucial in politics because they shape how countries perceive and respond to challenges and opportunities, and to each other. Politics is as much about psychology as it is about policy.

I hope that European politicians' mindsets toward China will become more balanced by being less determined by economic envy, ideology-driven prejudice and cultural ignorance.

My journalistic experience as a European living in China suggests that Chinese leaders, particularly in the past decade, know much more about European politics than their counterparts know about China.

On a positive note, I am happy that last week's summit produced an agreement on enhancing bilateral cooperation in energy transition and a commitment to accelerating global renewable energy deployment.

China-EU cooperation on tackling climate change is of utmost importance for humanity's survival. Together they cover about 9.3 percent of Earth's land mass.

Despite its carbon intensity, China has more renewable energy capacity than the next seven countries put together. The country leads global EV, solar and wind energy supply chains, and is pioneering efficient energy use through rapidly expanding smart-city digital infrastructure.

On the climate protection front, the EU and China could learn a lot from each other.

So, let's all root for a steady improvement in China-EU ties – the whole world will benefit from it, and rebalance our mindsets from fixed to growth-oriented.

The author is director of the Macao Post Daily.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.