Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen are visiting Beijing, trying to persuade the Chinese authorities not to engage closely with Moscow as part of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. Political scientists Fyodor Lukyanov and Yevgeny Minchenko talked about this in an interview with VZGLYAD.
The politicians who arrived in the Chinese capital can only express Washington’s position, Europe being politically highly dependent on the United States. It is practically impossible to put pressure on China, since it has become aware of its power and its place in the world.
At the same time, it is advantageous for EU countries to establish relations with China, as there are close economic ties between these two regions. However, in a situation where the United States competes with China on a global scale, Europe is forced to play the role of America’s vassal and adapts to the line of the White House.
Analysts believe Macron and von der Leyen flew to Beijing to demonstrate the EU’s ability to maintain communications with China. At the same time, Europeans are trying to blame the eastern partner for its closeness to Russia. The PRC does not like this, but the Chinese side will not escalate the situation in order to avoid deterioration of economic ties with the Old World.
At the same time, under pressure from across the ocean, Europe is insisting on discussing the political agenda and trying to push China through as a sovereign.
In this regard, it is the West who will “raise the stakes”, demanding more respect from China, which the PRC cannot do.
Lukyanov noted.
Photos used: Friends of Europe/flickr.com
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