01 point of view
Written by: Review Editor Room
2020-07-06 17:50
Date of last update: 2020-07-06 17:51The legislation of the "Hong Kong version of the National Security Law" has become a major topic of international concern due to the struggle between China and the United States. Many major countries have expressed concern. After the implementation of the National Security Law last Tuesday (June 30), this debate became a topic of discussion in the UN Human Rights Council, and nearly 100 countries expressed their views on this. The National Security Act has now formed a political debate against China in the international community, and the expressions of various countries have naturally become an important indicator of how the various countries are doing in the wrestling between China and the United States. As expected, the countries that opposed China's establishment of the "National Security Act for the Port Area" were mainly Western camps led by the United States and Western Europe, while the main supporters of China were mainly the Asian-African Group of developing countries and Eastern Europe. It is worth noting that whether it is the geopolitical and economic section of Europe, or the EU with supranational entities, its attitude towards China appears to be more divided than other regions, reflecting Europe's concerns and limitations in dealing with China .
Three of the European countries that openly support China are Russia, Belarus, and Serbia, three non-EU countries with close ties to China. But Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and other EU countries, as well as Ukraine, chose to remain silent. The United States has used soft and hard means to require other countries to participate in the containment of China. The attitude of these countries reflects to some extent that they are not interested in participating in this containment, and do not want to choose between China and the United States, so as not to cause dissatisfaction on one side.
At the China-Europe Video Summit on June 22, President of the European Council Charles Michel waved to Xi Jinping. On the high-profile Hong Kong issue, Michelle said that the EU is highly concerned about China’s implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, and believes that China’s measures to promote the implementation of the National Security Law do not comply with the Basic Law and China’s commitment to the international community. (AP)
Economic and trade relations become key
These undecided countries have their own positions of interest. For example, many Central and Eastern European countries are within the framework of China’s cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe, “17+1”, and have close economic and trade relations with China. They are also looking forward to the replacement of the United States by Chinese investment and the revival of the stagnation caused by the financial tsunami. economic. Greece, Hungary, Romania, etc. have close ties with China. In the past, when the European Union planned to adopt a tough policy against China or condemned China, they voted against it, which is considered to be a threat to China's interference with European reunification.
In addition to Eastern European countries, Italy, Spain, Portugal and other southern European countries have also remained silent on China. Many countries in Southern Europe and Eastern Europe have been caught in the economic downturn due to the financial tsunami. Italy and Portugal have also participated in the “Belt and Road” development plan advocated by China, and have close economic and trade relations with China. Spain itself has taken tough measures to deal with the issue of independence of Catalonia, and has an embarrassing stance on "Hong Kong independence" with separatism, which has affected Spain's intention to participate in the siege of China on the issue of Hong Kong. As early as last year, when Western countries condemned China on the issue of human rights in Xinjiang, Italy, Spain, and Portugal were no longer listed as joint agencies. In particular, Italy and Spain are both members of the UN Human Rights Council, and they have every reason to speak.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on July 2 that the country has no special measures to help Hong Kong citizens affected by the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law. The picture shows her waving to the European Commission President Von Delaine while attending a press conference in Berlin that day. (AP)
The EU is a supranational organization that makes major decisions based on the consensus of member states. Some members are unwilling to adopt a tougher attitude toward China, which greatly limits the extent of the EU's toughness against China. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned on July 2 that if EU member states agree that they have opinions on the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law, it will have a long-term impact on China. However, since it is difficult for EU member states to reach an agreement on China's attitude, Von Delaine's disguise is to say "Europe will not take too radical actions." Even the EU leader Germany, which opposes national security laws and China's Xinjiang policy, is not as tough on China as the United States. In response to the National Security Law, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed out that China and the EU have important strategic relations and must maintain communication and maintain a dialogue with Beijing on the National Security Law. Germany will serve as the EU rotating chair next year, and Merkel also said that relations with China will be the top priority of Germany and the EU in the future. These reflect that the European Union and Europe are likely to maintain their own line outside the positions of countries such as Britain and the United States when facing China: they emphasize European values of freedom and democracy in values, but in reality they also actively cooperate with China to compete American unilateralism.
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01 point of view
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