European leaders are looking for a way to forge their own future as the Chinese regime continues to seek to “drive a wedge” between Europe and the United States, according to one European parliamentarian.
While leaders of the European Union (EU) are wary of the threat posed by communist China, Europe as a whole does not advocate the wholesale decoupling of Sino-European relations often encouraged by American lawmakers, according to Member of the European Parliament Reinhard Buetikofer.
Buetikofer said that most Europeans favored “de-risking,” referencing a term popularized by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Such a strategy would encourage more serious screening of Chinese investment in Europe without cutting the regime off completely, and would seek to open up Europe to more trade and diplomacy with middle powers who do not want to get caught in the growing enmity between China and the United States….