Opinion | Can Washingtonians fool EU friends and force them to 'unfriend' Chinese business partner

By Augustus K. Yeung

INTRODUCTION

Can Washingtonians fool their European friends, and force them to 'decouple' from their Chinese business partner? 

"People-to-people exchange is key to ties," Xi Jinping admonished, implying the importance of connectivity. 

This article mirrors the Chinese president's advice, taking premier Li Qiang's visits to Germany and France as examples. 

The readers will learn more from Herald Bruning, the fair-minded director of Macau Post Daily.

Bruning thinks the concepts of "decoupling" and "de-risking" are terms in politics that the public may not properly understand. 

Here's an abridged version of his article, dismantling these two toxic concepts.

Note: At Summer Davos Premier Li Qiang warned against overstretching the concept of "de-risking"…

"One of the most tangible outcomes of Premier Li's visit to Germany and France is that the two countries appear to have left the 'Trumpian trade-war threat' of 'decoupling' from China on the ash of history," said Bruning sarcastically. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne reassured Li in Berlin and Paris respectively that they reject the notion of "decoupling" their economies from China's.

Origin of the Concept of "Decoupling" 

"The idea of unleashing 'complete decoupling' – Donald Trump's terminology – between the world's largest and second-largest economies must be one of the most harebrained schemes ever invented by a Western leader," said a seasoned Harald Bruning.

"The problem is that the 'Trumpesque folly' has poisoned relations between the West and China – at a time when global cooperation on the greatest possible range of areas is more needed than ever before."

"Until recently, the toxic notion of 'decoupling from China', despite its obvious impracticality and self-harm potential, had a growing number of 'fan clubs' not just in the US – comprising both Democrats and Republicans – but also elsewhere in the West."

"Decoupling" and the Case of Germany

Scholz said at a joint news conference with Li that Germany absolutely rejects all forms of "decoupling", insisting that "de-risking" is not "de-Sinicization". 

"I wonder whether his reassuring remarks were fully understood by the public, they are welcome – because they indicate the German government does not pursue an anti-China agenda." 

"I still have my doubts about how the conventional business term 'de-risking' is used in a political – or even ideology-laden – context by certain Western politicians such as the Greens," said Bruning. 

Addressing German business community leaders in Berlin, Li underlined that risk prevention and cooperation are not mutually exclusive – pointing out that "failure to cooperate is the biggest risk, and failure to develop is the biggest insecurity". 

For example, the funding of the German people's high standard of living – free education and, relatively generous social welfare and public health services – depends on its income from external trade.

China has been Germany's top trading partner for seven consecutive years, ahead of the United States. Of course – foreign trade means interdependence – and all the world's major economies have interdependent relationships. 

Economic interdependence requires cooperation which creates business opportunities and wealth. 

"Decoupling" and the Case of France

In France, Macron said that in a world full of challenges, France and China should adhere to result-oriented multilateralism, promote international solidarity, improve governance, and promote solutions for global issues. 

The two-nation trip was Li's first overseas tour as premier. It was a significant and successful visit. Germany is by far the 27-nation EU's biggest economy; France is the only EU country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Both countries are China's important partners in a wide range of areas, including technological and F&B – French wines and German beers are popular in China. 

Li's visit was also significant for the other EU countries that wish to have mutually beneficial relations with China, irrespective of how Sino-US relations – which have their very own dynamics and not infrequent domestic ups and downs – are proceeding.

His "people-to-people" talks in Berlin and Paris took place at a time when analysts are discussing the Washington Consensus. According to an article by veteran columnist Edward Luce, US national editor of the Financial Times a few weeks ago, "the old Washington Consensus" of the 1980s promoted neoliberal maxims – for the developing world and China's accession to the WTO in 2001. 

Unfortunately, the "new Washington Consensus," is for the West to now disengage from China. 

Competition drives development – if it does not excluded cooperation per se. In the business world, cooperative competition, is a welcome concept.

Why not in the realm of international relations too?

"I agree with the FT columnists that 'a full-scale decoupling from China would make everyone poorer, creating an Orwellian world of hostile blocs." Bruning warned. 

"The good tiding right now is that the idea of decoupling from China seems to have finally ended up in the ash heap of history." Harald Bruning concluded hilariously. (Source: China Daily)

CONCLUSION

Since the Vietnam War, Washington has been on decline, waging wars one after another. And now made infamous because of Trumpism, manufacturing divisive ideas, especially against China – a global-minded business player, and emerging architect of a new era, rendering the UN more multilateral, less US-led. 

China has been building infrastructures and pushing global trade in accordance with its BRI, nurturing the ASEAN, modernizing its bloc members, notably Indonesia, which has – in cooperation with China – just built its super modern high-speed railway, a pride of Asia.

The Washingtonians – "inspired" by D.J. Trump, now an indicted criminal – charged with sex crimes, tax-evasions, illegally keeping highly classified documents, crowning himself "president" of the US, and not just fanning riots in Capitol Hill, but ruining Washington's world leadership…  

Fortunately, Europe has remarkable leaders such as Scholz and Macron who are pulling the EU from the brinks of a nuclear war as the Washington-led Ukrainian conflicts wear tiringly on, destroying cities, dislodging families, debasing human lives…

China – a worthy permanent member of the UN Security Council – and Europe continue to be connected while EU will be gradually "decoupling" from a weakened U.S. in decline.

 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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