Plan to Reduce Economic Dependence on China; EU Ministers Support It

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated that EU foreign ministers supported a plan to reduce the union's economic dependence on China on Friday. According to Reuters, Borrell said, "The foreign ministers supported a proposal to adjust the policy towards China to emphasize its role as a 'political rival,' while still viewing Beijing as a partner in global issues and as an 'economic competitor.'" Borrell added, "When dependence on China is too large, it means danger," after his meeting in Stockholm, and noted, "Colleagues welcomed the proposal to reduce the EU's economic dependence on China and agreed on the fundamental indicators of our strategy regarding China." Borrell emphasized that the EU must learn from its "strategic mistake" in the years before the war in Ukraine—namely, excessive dependence on Russian gas—stating that today the EU is even more dependent on China for key technologies like solar panels and other vital items than it is on Russian energy. Previously, Borrell had also stressed the need for engagement with China and keeping communications open during his speech at the start of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, but he remarked, "Whatever happens in the Taiwan Strait is of great importance to us." He described China as a partner, competitor, and systematic rival, stating, "China's behavior will determine where the EU places China in these strategies." A senior U.S. State Department official also told Reuters that the foreign ministers of the seven industrialized nations would likely discuss adopting a "joint and coordinated" approach towards China during their meeting in Japan. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis had previously warned that while the EU does not want to economically separate from China, it must be prepared for such a scenario in advance.