Four years ago, Emmanuel Macron remarked that the era of European naivety on China was over. As Andrew Small establishes in his book The Rupture, the shift was not born primarily of US pressure to pick sides – though that was unquestionably felt – but of Europe’s own dealings with Beijing. Views have hardened further thanks to China’s increasing forcefulness in foreign policy, its handling of Covid and its support for Russia over Ukraine. Last month, the EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, urged a “de-risking” of relations with China. The French president’s insistence on including her in his trip to Beijing last week sent a welcome message of unity.
But it was his remarks to journalists on the way home that seized attention. Observing – in the context of Taiwan – that Europe should not be a “vassal” to the US or get caught up in crises that “are not our own” undermined support for a democracy and sparked anger across European capitals. The German parliamentarian Norbert Röttgen attacked “a PR coup for Xi [Jinping] and a foreign policy disaster for Europe”.
