China decides to 'attack' Germany with charm, will Europe also be shaken?

Global Times commented that Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Germany and France has created a rare opportunity to eliminate internal and external influences and dispel Europe's complex and stereotypical thoughts about China. Europe should not miss this opportunity.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang's European tour is seen by observers as Beijing's way of finding a shorter path to strengthen relations with the two "big brothers" Germany and France in the face of increasing pressure from the US.

For Germany, France and Europe as a whole, Chinese Premier Li Qiang's first official foreign visit after the formation of the new government (March 2023) is not only a journey to promote traditional friendship and deepen cooperation, but also an important visit to implement the proposal of the top Chinese leader - to promote the development of China-Europe relations.

Mr. Li Qiang will also pay an official visit to France shortly afterwards and attend the Summit on the New Global Financial Compact (June 22 and 23).

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (R) welcomes Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, June 19. (Source: AP)

China is willing to make every effort.

What is more remarkable about Premier Li Qiang's visit to the two European powers is that it comes right after French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China in April and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's tour of Asia's No. 1 economy in late 2022.

The Global Times commented that the event has created a rare opportunity to eliminate internal and external influences and to dispel Europe's complex and stereotypical thoughts about China. "Europe should not miss this opportunity," the Global Times advised.

The Chinese newspaper stressed that this is not China's so-called "charm offensive" against Europe, and Beijing has never taken advantage of Europe. Simply put, Beijing's truest and most straightforward mentality is that it really does not want to see a strategic partner, without fundamental conflicts of interest, being "shaken" by external influences and irrational internal emotions, moving in a direction that causes damage instead of mutual benefit.

To avoid this situation, China is willing to make every effort.

And in fact, shortly after arriving in Berlin on Sunday evening (June 18), Premier Li Qiang met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, held talks with German business leaders, and co-chaired the seventh China-Germany intergovernmental consultations with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Chinese premier personally conveyed the Northeast Asian nation's goodwill and sincerity, and explained Beijing's stance on a series of major issues. Li Qiang highlighted that there is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and Germany, the biggest risk between the two countries is lack of cooperation, and the biggest security threat is lack of development.

Li Qiang affirmed that the seventh China-Germany Intergovernmental Consultation is the first comprehensive connection after the two countries' new governments were formed. Beijing is willing to have frank and in-depth exchanges with Berlin on the basis of mutual respect, seeking common ground, putting aside differences and achieving mutual benefit.

From there, the two sides will deeply exploit the potential for cooperation, properly handle disagreements and differences, enrich the content of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides, and send a positive and strong signal about maintaining the stability of the international production and supply chain as well as world peace and prosperity.

It seems that these efforts have had a positive effect. The most direct manifestation of the visit is that European public opinion on China has become more pragmatic and rational, at least in the short term. Business leaders have become particularly enthusiastic. Chancellor Scholz said that Germany rejects any form of decoupling and risk reduction, but not “separation” from China.

According to reports, the two countries signed more than 10 cooperation agreements in areas including advanced manufacturing and environmental protection, while forging further consensus in cooperation to address climate change and promote green development, among others.

This practical message has increased confidence that China-Europe relations and practical cooperation between the two sides still have bright prospects.

Previously, observers said that China-Europe relations had shown signs of cracking. China's foreign direct investment in Europe in 2022 reached more than 8.6 billion USD, down 22% compared to 2021 and the lowest level in a decade, according to the New York consulting firm Rhodium Group.

Germany, Europe’s industrial powerhouse, has in recent months shifted trade flows away from China and toward the United States. German exports to China fell 12% in the first three months of this year to more than $26 billion. Meanwhile, German exports to the United States rose 14% in the same period to more than $43 billion, according to Germany’s federal statistics agency.

The Global Times stressed that there are undoubtedly differences between China and Europe on some issues, some old issues and some new ones. The biggest obstacles are certainly at the political and ideological levels, and some anti-China forces will not miss the opportunity to make noise. We must do our best, but we must also be ready to “embrace” the complexity and twists and turns in current and future China-Europe relations.

In fact, the label of being “soft on China” is still a difficult obstacle for most politicians in some European countries to overcome. This may put them in a politically passive position, so they often choose to satisfy populist sentiments. They may also have to compromise, which will inevitably create unnecessary difficulties for China-Europe relations.

China-Europe have come closer together?

In theory, misunderstandings and misperceptions can mostly be resolved through increased communication and exchanges, and Beijing is trying to apply this in its relations with Berlin. During this visit to Europe, the Chinese Premier made an effort to express goodwill and increase communication and exchanges vigorously. In response, Li's message that "the biggest risk is non-cooperation and the biggest potential security danger is no development" received a lot of attention in Europe.

So, it can be said that the path of cooperation to develop China-Europe relations is getting shorter?

It seems that Europe's biggest difficulty today is not whether to cooperate with China, but where to locate cooperation?

The Chinese newspaper commented that Beijing will still be concerned about the fact that once mutually beneficial cooperation is replaced by politicization, ideology and comprehensive security, the cooperative environment will certainly be affected and the scope of cooperation will be significantly narrowed, whether both sides want it or not.

From that perspective, Europe needs to be more clear-headed in its perception, because missing the opportunity means non-cooperation, non-stability and reduced development, the Global Times said.

Beijing is changing, Europe is changing, and so are China-Europe relations. China-Europe relations are not about going back to the past, nor can they go back to the past, but about moving forward.

Moving forward requires a joint effort from both parties to continually manage change. While the key to mastering change is to adhere to the key principles that will create stable cooperation, the principles of mutually beneficial cooperation, seeking common ground, but preserving differences and treating each other equally are inviolable.

As long as these principles remain unchanged, the future of China-Europe relations is worth looking forward to.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trung-quoc-quyet-tan-cong-duc-bang-don-quyen-ru-chau-au-cung-phai-lung-lay-231687.html