EU governments face a difficult balancing act as they struggle to forge a stronger, more dynamic relationship with an increasingly powerful China.
EU diplomats, working on a "strategic partnership" with the Asian giant, repeatedly emphasize that China's rise must be welcomed as a positive development.
Beijing has played a "constructive role" on a range of global issues, including efforts to defuse the nuclear crisis with North Korea, EU external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner insisted recently.
EU trade officials are singing a different tune, however, as trade ties between the EU and the Asian economic powerhouse become more and more fraught.
The EU trade department, following the US lead, has warned China to urgently curb its soaring textile exports to the EU or face unilateral restrictions.
Caught in the middle of the storm of conflicting policy priorities is EU trade chief Peter Mandelson.
The one-time close aide to British Prime Minister Tony Blair is known to be firm believer in free trade. But he is under increasing pressure from European industry and heavyweights like France and Italy to act tough -- and quickly -- on Chinese textiles.
COMPLAINTS
European textile producers say the surge in Chinese textile and clothing exports following the worldwide elimination of textile quotas on Jan. 1 is decimating the EU textile sector, forcing thousands of workers out of jobs.
France, Italy, Spain and Greece are among the EU states demanding urgent EU action against Chinese textile exports.
With Chinese textile exports a major issue in the French referendum on the EU constitution set for May 29, Paris is at the vanguard of such demands.
The protectionist clamor, however, is rejected by Germany and several Nordic nations, which are arguing forcefully in favor of finding an amicable solution to the problem.
"Nobody can escape structural change," German economics ministers Wolfgang Clement said recently in a pointed reference to demands for protection made by European textile manufacturers.
EU policy on China is, in fact, full of contradictions. While taking a tough line on Chinese textiles, France is also leading demands for quick EU action to lift a 16-year-old ban on selling European arms to Beijing.
EU governments had initially planned to lift the embargo in June this year, replacing it with what diplomats promise will be a tougher code of conduct regulating European arms sales to Beijing.
But protests from the US and Japan which oppose such moves -- and EU concerns about human rights in China -- appear to have slowed down moves to end the embargo.
Mandelson's hopes of going equally slowly in the textiles sector are unlikely to be successful, however.
INVESTIGATION
The EU trade chief opened investigations into nine categories of Chinese textile exports on April 29, saying the inquiry would run in parallel to informal consultations with China on its textiles commerce with the EU. The process is expected to take up to 60 days.
But Mandelson was in tougher mode on Monday.
Pointing to "serious market disruption" by China, the EU trade commissioner said he was opening immediate WTO talks with China on a surge in exports of T-shirts and flax yarn.
If China did not take urgent to rein in exports of the two products, he warned, it would face unilateral EU restrictions.
Still hoping for a negotiated solution, Mandelson insisted, however that he expected China to play ball.
"China wants to cooperate," he said.
A GLOBAL PROBLEM
EU officials say that their worries over the future of the European textile industry is compounded by concern that China's soaring textile exports are damaging the textile sectors of several vulnerable developing countries.
In particular, exports of T-shirts to the EU from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have dropped by 37 percent, 25 percent and 9 percent respectively since the beginning of the year, the commission cautioned recently.
"We have a big challenge on our hands to bring about the progressive integration of China into the global economy," Mandelson said recently.
China's renaissance, Mandelson said, was good for Europe and the rest of the world.
But he faces an uphill struggle to convince European textile manufacturers to take a similarly upbeat of view of Asia's most dynamic economy.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing