EU-Parlament verschärft vor Šefčovič-Reise Haltung zur China-Politik

In the European Parliament, politicians from all factions are increasingly rallying behind a tougher stance in the EU's China policy, extending beyond trade issues. A new report from the Committee on Foreign Affairs describes China not only as an economic but also a geopolitical adversary that undermines European security. The European Parliament will vote on the report on Wednesday – just before Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič's trip to Beijing on Thursday, where he will meet with Chinese Trade Minister Wang Wentao for crucial talks on the escalating trade conflict.

"I want him to travel there with the strongest possible mandate from this House," said Berichterstatterin Hilde Vautmans in a debate on Tuesday evening. "Europe has economic power. It is time to use it." The statement aligns with positions agreed upon by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron in a joint paper last week, advocating for the EU Commission to be given more authority to limit or even block imports from countries causing "serious and systematic distortions" to the EU.

Several MEPs praised the united stance of the EU's two largest economies. Polish MEP Mariusz Kamiński of the European Conservatives and Reformists went further, calling "pragmatic economic relations" with China irresponsible or "plain dumb". China, he said, is a "communist dictatorship that poses a threat to the free world". He was not alone in this view.

Many MEPs consider that more than just curbing China's aggressive subsidized excess production. The EU Commission must also address human rights violations in China, aggression toward Taiwan, and China's role in Russia's war against Ukraine. "We must recognize that China behaves in a way that threatens our interests, not just in trade, but also in security and defense", said Spanish MEP Nicolás Pascual de la Parte of the European People's Party.

"The human rights situation has not improved, but has disappeared from our agenda in recent years." Vautmans viewed the debate as evidence that the EU is moving towards a unified stance against China. "This is no longer just the position of the European Parliament or a single faction", she said after the debate. "It is increasingly becoming clear that Europe needs a more coherent China policy: open to dialogue and cooperation, but much more decisive in defending its interests when necessary."