EUROPE WAKES UP TO CHINA THREAT AFTER YEARS OF ANTI-AMERICA DELUSIONS
European leaders are finally admitting what many warned about for years: blind dependence on Communist China is a strategic disaster in the making.
After rushing to join Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and chasing cheap Chinese goods, solar panels, electric vehicles, and rare earth minerals, the EU is now scrambling to “de-risk.” Italy, the only G7 nation to sign on, has now withdrawn and called the move a mistake.
The article notes Europe’s shift from obsessing over “strategic autonomy” from the United States to fearing China’s economic leverage. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that China holds enormous power over the continent.
European officials see echoes of their catastrophic reliance on Russian energy, which left them vulnerable when Putin invaded Ukraine. Now they fear repeating the same error with Beijing, especially after China’s “no limits” partnership with Russia and dominance in critical supply chains.
Brussels is responding with new tariffs on Chinese goods and subsidies for domestic industries, but the damage from years of naive engagement is already done.
Europe spent years badmouthing American strength and pushing to reduce dependence on Washington. Now reality is hitting hard as they confront the true cost of tying their future to an authoritarian regime in Beijing.