As Australia clashes with China, the European Union lays low
SYDNEY — Australia has stuck its neck out just as China is in a head-chopping mood. So where’s the EU when Canberra needs it?
With the world teetering on the edge of a pandemic-induced economic meltdown, Australia, the world’s 13th-largest economy already on the ropes after years of drought and a horrific fire season, now finds itself squaring off against the world’s No. 2 super-power.
As China threatens to attack Taiwan and pledges retaliation against any country that questions its coronavirus response, Australia this week, along with the U.S., U.K. and Canada, called out the Chinese government over a new national security law in Hong Kong they say is in direct conflict with Beijing's international obligations.
Australia was also the first country to call for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic amid concerns about transparency from Beijing, leading to economic retribution as China slapped trade tariffs on Canberra.
But the EU seems in no hurry to rush in behind its ally in engaging with Beijing. There could even be an upside for the bloc if Australia remains weakened, as Brussels and Canberra look to conclude a free-trade deal later this year.
European foreign ministers met Friday to reach a common position on China, issuing a statement expressing “grave concern” at its crackdown on Hong Kong. At a press conference afterward, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, acknowledged that “the autonomy of Hong Kong has been really weakened.”
But asked whether China’s moves against Hong Kong put at risk the EU’s investment deals with Beijing, Borrell was unequivocal in his answer: “No.”
Will there be sanctions? “Only one country made reference to the question of sanctions,” Borrell said, referring to Sweden. (The EU’s decision not to use its leverage as the world’s biggest trade bloc comes in stark contrast to the U.S., which is threatening trade measures if Beijing proceeds with imposing national security laws.)
And Brussels is moving forward with plans for an EU-China summit in Leipzig in September. “As long as the pandemic allows for it to take place, it will take place,” Borrell said.
“We will continue trying to put pressure on the Chinese authorities in order to make them aware that this issue will affect the way we deal with some of the issues of mutual interest. But there is nothing more on the agenda,” he said.
Translation: If the EU ever gets off the fence, it’ll have an ass full of splinters.
Tensions between Beijing and Australia’s conservative government, meanwhile, have been simmering since 2016, when Canberra blocked bids by two Chinese companies for electricity distributor Ausgrid over national security concerns, before later banning telecoms firm Huawei from its 5G network in 2018.
In April, things reached boiling point when Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for an urgent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak, to be run independently of the World Health Organization.
The EU, for its part, effectively hung Australia out to dry at the WHO's World Health Assembly in May, derailing Canberra’s call (with the U.S.) for an independent probe into the coronavirus outbreak by negotiating a compromise counter-proposal with Beijing.
China, meanwhile, responded to Australia’s slight by slapping an 80 percent tariff on its barley exports and banning four of its largest abattoirs from sending red meat to China. The move was a clear warning shot, with the country also threatening to boycott Australian coal.
In an editorial published Wednesday, the Global Times, a mouthpiece of the Chinese government, warned ominously: “If Australia keeps angering China, China should give it a lesson much heavier than tariffs on barley.”
Asked to comment on Beijing’s pressure on Australia, Virginie Battu-Henriksson, the EU’s spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy said: “The European Union is a staunch supporter of open and fair trade within a rules-based, multilateral trading system. We encourage all countries to avoid barriers to free and open trade and escalating tensions, in particular at a time when our efforts should be concentrated on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences.”
A trade war with China is no fun for anyone, but it’s especially problematic for Australia. Unlike the EU and the U.S., which both run large deficits, Australia has a significant trade surplus with the country.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/australia-clashes-china-european-union-145209028.html