Whilethisistrue,timeshavenowchanged.Francetoday,asamemberoftheEU,isquitedifferentfromthecountryitwasduringthetimeofdeGaulle.
TaketheEUarmsembargoonChina,forexample,whichhasexistedsince1989.JacquesChirac,thenFrenchpresident,calledforanendtotheembargo,butaconsensuswasneverreachedbytheEUduetooppositionfromtheU.S.ThissomewhathamperedfurtherprogressinChina-EUrelations.Francehasbeenstrugglingwithtrickydiplomaticpositionseversince.ThenewU.S.presidenthasinfusedthesituationwithevenmoreuncertainty.
Sino-EUcooperationembracesaninvitingprospect.Jointeffortscanbemadeinagoodnumberofareas.
ChallengesforEurope’sRelationswithAmerica
WhenGeorgeW.BushwasPresident,relationsbetweenEuropeandtheU.S.wererathertense.France,underthewingofJacquesChirac,wasattheforefrontofoppositiontotheIraqWar.Theanti-warspeechdeliveredbythethenFrenchForeignMinisterDominiquedeVillepinattheUNSecurityCouncilin2003wonuniversalpraise.FormerForeignMinister,HubertVedrine,accusedtheU.S.ofoversimplifyingthesituationandadvocatingunilateralism.IinterviewedMr.VedrineforWenHuiBao.AtthattimewewerethefirstpublicationoutsideofFrancetocoverthestoryandgiveapositivecritiqueofMr.Vedrine’sleft-wingremarks.
FrancesupportedBush’srival,JohnKerry,duringBush’sre-electioncampaign.AttheG8SummitinEvian,France,shortlyafterthestartoftheIraqWarin2003,PresidentChiracinvitedtheleadersofseveralcountries,includingChina,toholdaninformalSouth-Northdialogue,aimedatguardingagainstanyprovocationfromtheU.S.concerningtheIraqWar.Onthebackofthis,Sino-FrenchandSino-EuropeantiessteadilydevelopedduringtheeightyearsoftheBushadministration.
ThecurrentU.S.administrationseemstobegoingdownthesameroad.DecreesissuedbyPresidentTrumpchallengelong-heldEuropeanvalues.TrumpdoesnotsupporttheagreementsmadeattheParisUNClimateChangeConference,whichraisesseriousconcernsfortheFrenchgovernment.HehasalsowelcomedBritain’sdecisiontoleavetheEU,whichEuropemourns.Trump’scriticismsofGermany’srefugeepolicyruncountertothehumanitarianismwidelyadvocatedinEurope.HisordertodenyvisastocitizensofsevendifferentMuslimcountries,moreover,blatantlyfloutedbasicWesternvalues.
Oppositioncanbefoundineveryquarter,fromordinaryU.S.citizenstotopofficialsinEurope.DuringhisvisittoTehranlastJanuary,FrenchForeignMinisterJean-MarcAyraultvowedtoincreasethenumberofvisasissuedtoIranians.
Notably,MinisterAyraultalsocriticizedTrump’schallengetotheone-Chinapolicy.“Chinaisagreatcountry,”hesaid.“TheremaybedisagreementswithChina,butwedonottalklikethattoapartner.”
Hisopinionissharedbyseveralstateleaders.DuringameetingwithGermanChancellorAngelaMerkelinJanuary,FrenchPresidentFrancoisHollandehighlightedchallengesposedbythenewU.S.administrationregardingcommercialrulesandinternationalconflict.“OfcoursewehavetospeaktoDonaldTrump,”saidHollande,“ashewaschosenbytheAmericanstobetheirPresident,butwemustdoitwithaEuropeanpointofviewandpromoteourinterestsandvalues.”
ItseemsthatEuropeandtheU.S.nowdisplaythegreatestideologicaldivergencesincethestartoftheIraqWar.Thetwosideshavecompletelyopposingvaluesandconflictingstancesonsuchissuesasglobaliza-tion,freetrade,climatechange,diplomaticrelationswithRussia,illegalimmigrantsandrefugees.
OpportunitiesforChina-EUCooperation
Inthemeantime,ChinaandEuropearetakingasimilarpositionongrowingnumbersofglobalissues.Inmyopinion,thispresentsagoldenopportunityforfurtherprogressinbilateralrelations.
TheFrenchpresspraisedthespeechChinesePresidentXiJinpingdeliveredattheannualmeetingoftheWorldEconomicForumheldinDavosinJanuary2017.Inanarticleentitled“XiJinpingSingsaHymntoFreeTradeandGlobalization,”LeFigarocommentedthatXi’sspeech“fullycorrespondedtothevaluesofinternationalismandwasinterruptedseveraltimesbyapplause.”ThisobservationhasbeenwidelyechoedbyothermembersoftheFrenchpress.
EuropeisbeginningtorealizethatthesituationtodayseesChinaasadefenderofestablishedinternationalrules,freetrade,andglobalization,whereasAmericaisplayingtheroleoftroublemaker.
AccordingtotheEuropeanmedia,EU-U.S.relationsareenteringanunprecedentedphase.TheU.S.hascompletelyabandonedthepolicyadvocatedbypreviousgovernmentstosupportEurope’sdevelopmentasacohesivewhole.Instead,theTrumpadministrationwantstoseeadividedEuropewithfragmentedcountriesthataremucheasiertooverride.TheinterestsoftheU.S.canthenbepushedforwardinthemosteffectiveway.
Contrarytothis,ChinahasalwayssupportedEuropeanintegration.ItislikelythatEU-U.S.relationswillevolveinadirectionoppositetothatbetweenEuropeandChina.ThemoredisagreementsEuropehaswiththeU.S.,themorefirmlyitcementsitstieswithChina.
Therefore,Sino-EUcooperationembracesaninvitingprospect.Jointeffortscanbemadeinagoodnumberofareas,includingtacklingclimatechange,promotingbilateraltrade,facilitatingcollaborationinfinanceandinvestment,cooperationinAfrica,andtheBeltandRoadInitiative,whichformerFrenchPrimeMinisterDominiquedeVillepindescribedasthemostimportantdevelopmentprojectintheworldtoday.
Inaddition,atthe2016HangzhouG20Summit,ChinacalledforcollaborationinthefieldofinnovationwhichwasanhistoricmomentinthedevelopmentofChina-EUrelations.Inoneway,therefore,Trump’sdefensiveconceptof“AmericaFirst”mayactuallyendupbringingChinaandEuropeclosertogether.
MutualUnderstandingwithoutPrejudice
Sofar,“prideandprejudice”–aColdWarlegacy–hasprovedthesoleremainingobstacletotheall-roundprogressofSino-EUrelations.WecannotignorethepersistentviewofChinaasabackwardnation,perpetratedbypeoplecriticalofChina’spoliticalsystemandwhogivethecountrybadpressbecausetheWesternideaofageneralelectionisabsentinChina.Obviously,theideaof“originalsinfromademocraticpointofview”hasnoplaceintheever-diversifyingmodernworld.
PresidentXiJinpingwelcomedothercountriesaboardtheexpresstrainofChina’srapiddevelopment.What’smore,Chinahaspromisedtofurtheropenitsdomesticmarketwhileincreasinginvestmentabroad.
ChineseMissiontotheEUholdstheChinaOpenhouseDayonSeptember10,2016topromotethedevelopmentofbilateralties.Chinaisadevelopingcountrywithapopulationof1.3billion.Itisabsurdtocopyandtransposethepoliticalsystemofacountrywithamuchsmallerpopulation(France,say)tothisenormouscountrywithoutmakinganyadaptations.
“Practiceisthesolecriterionfortestingtruth”isawell-knownproverbinChina.Publicopinionpollsconductedbybothdomesticandinternationalorganizationsoverthepast30yearshavedemonstratedthattheChinesegovernmentisamongthemostpopulargovernmentsintheworld.Overthedecades,theChinesegovernmenthasendeavoredtoimprovelivingstandards,andhasbeenwidelysupportedbyitspeople.
ItistruethatChina’spoliticalsystemhasitsowndefiningcharacteristicsanddiffersfrompoliticalmodelsintheWest,theformerSovietUnion,orNorthKorea.ShouldEuropechoosetoperceiveChinawithoutideologicalprejudice,andcordiallypromotebilateralcooperation,itcouldcounterbalancetheworryingtrendsofracismandtradeprotectionismchampionedbyDonaldTrumpsincehebecameU.S.President.
InhisspeechattheDavosForum,PresidentXiJinpingwelcomedothercountriesaboardtheexpresstrainofChina’srapiddevelopment.What’smore,Chinahaspromisedtofurtheropenitsdomesticmarketwhileincreasinginvestmentabroad.Atpresent,EuropeisingreatneedofboththeChinesemarketanditsinvestments.AsChinahasalreadyexpressedastrongwillingnesstocooperate,itisEurope’sturntounveilitsplanofaction.NationalelectionswillbeheldinFranceandGermanyoverthenextfewmonths.WearecurioustoseewhetherthesetwomajorEUcountrieswillelectpoliticalleaderswhoembraceglobalandstrategicvisionsandhaveagoodunderstandingofthedevelopmentprospectsofChina,theU.S.,andtheworld.Welookforwardtotheresults.
ZHENGRUOLINistheformerseniorforeigncorrespondentinParisofShanghai-basedWenHuiBaoandauthorofTheChineseArePeopleLikeYouandMe.