Coronavirus: European Leaders Cower in the Face of China

by Soeren Kern
May 7, 2020 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15994/coronavirus-europe-china

Translations of this item:

The equivocation of European leaders is a reflection not only of Europe's geopolitical weakness and economic overdependence on China, but also of a moral vacuum in which they refuse to stand up for Western values.
Meanwhile, the French government allowed the Chinese telecom company Huawei to supply parts for its 5G mobile network. The concession was made after China threatened to retaliate against European companies in the Chinese market.
"No country with a skerrick of self-respect can allow this behavior to go unpunished. I have already suggested some punitive measures designed to wound the regime's pride without harming the Chinese people: cancel the Huawei deal; pass a Magnitsky-style Act targeting senior CPC figures; champion the Uyghurs at every opportunity (e.g. rename the London street that houses the Chinese embassy after a Uyghur political prisoner); and recognize Taiwan as an independent nation. All I would add, upon reflection, is this: grant British citizenship to Hong Kongers born before 1 July 1997, their children and grandchildren." — Scottish political commentator Stephen Daisley.
"We increasingly hear words of admiration in Europe about the speed and efficiency of the Chinese market economy, the rigorous nature of its crisis management. All the time gladly ignoring the fact that China's successes rest on a highly perfected system of digital surveillance that translates the perversions of the KGB and Stasi into the 21st century." — Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, Europe's largest publishing company.
"It is remarkable that German politics, with its love of moralizing, seems to throw its values out the window when dealing with China. What is at stake here is nothing less than what kind of society we want to live in and our concept of humanity." — Mathias Döpfner.

In Europe, where the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 100,000 people and caused economic devastation, political leaders have been deafeningly silent on demanding accountability from China. Pictured: French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris on March 26, 2019. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia and the United States are leading a campaign for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Senior officials in both countries are seeking to determine if the virus originated in nature or in a Chinese laboratory. They are also calling on the Chinese government to account for its handling of the initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan.

In Europe, where the pandemic has killed more than 100,000 people and caused economic devastation on a scale not seen since the Second World War, political leaders have been deafeningly silent on demanding accountability from China. While a handful of European officials have agreed in principle that there should be an investigation at some undetermined point in the future, most appear afraid to challenge China directly.

The equivocation of European leaders is a reflection not only of Europe's geopolitical weakness and economic overdependence on China, but also of a moral vacuum in which they refuse to stand up for Western values.

A few days after European officials caved in to pressure from China and watered down an EU report on Chinese efforts to deflect blame for the coronavirus pandemic, the EU ambassador to China, Nicolas Chapuis, allowed the Chinese government to edit an op-ed article signed by him and the 27 Ambassadors of EU member states, to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations with China.

The EU authorized the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remove references to the origins and the spread of the coronavirus from the article, published in China Daily, an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Communist Party of China.

An EU spokesperson said that the EU allowed China to revise the op-ed because Brussels "considered it important to communicate EU policy priorities, notably on climate change and sustainability..."

Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed calls for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, but she avoided mentioning China by name and was careful not to offer specifics, such as who should lead the probe or when it might be conducted.

In a May 1 interview with the American broadcaster CNBC, von der Leyen used meaningless "diplomatese" apparently not to offend China:

"You never know when the next virus is starting, so we all want for the next time, we have learned our lesson and we've established a system of early warning that really functions and the whole world has to contribute to that."

In Sweden, Health Minister Lena Hallengren was slightly more forceful. In a reply to parliament on April 29, she called on the European Union to probe the origin of the pandemic:

"When the global situation of Covid-19 is under control, it is both reasonable and important that an international, independent investigation be conducted to gain knowledge about the origin and spread of the coronavirus.

"It is also important that the entire international community's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the World Health Organisation, is investigated. Sweden is happy to raise this issue within the framework of EU cooperation."

In France, President Emmanuel Macron questioned China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. "Given the choices made and what China is today, which I respect, let's not be so naive as to say it's been much better at handling this," Macron told the Financial Times on April 16. "We don't know. There are clearly things that have happened that we don't know about." He stopped short of calling for an investigation.

Meanwhile, the French government allowed the Chinese telecom company Huawei to supply parts for its 5G next-generational mobile network. The concession was made after China threatened to retaliate against European companies in the Chinese market.

In Britain, which now has the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been strangely silent on China. He continues to resist pressure from parliament to reverse his controversial decision to allow Huawei to supply parts for the UK's 5G mobile network.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab vowed to ask "hard questions" and threatened the end of "business as usual" with Beijing. He has not, however, announced any punitive measures against China.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, when asked by LBC radio if China should be held accountable, replied:

"I think it does. But I think the time for the post-mortem on this is after we've all got it under control and have come through it and our economies are back to normal. Only by being open and transparent will we learn about it, and China needs to be open and transparent about what it learned, and its shortcomings, but also its successes."

Former Prime Minister Theresa May, in a May 6 op-ed published by The Times, called for moral equivalence when dealing with the United States and China. "A world in which a few 'strong men' square up to each other and expect everyone else to choose between them would be a dangerous one," she said, apparently referring to U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Writing for The Spectator, Scottish political commentator Stephen Daisley lamented the government's dithering approach to China. In an essay, "Our Toothless Response to China is Embarrassing," he listed a series of measures the British government could take:

"No country with a skerrick of self-respect can allow this behavior to go unpunished. I have already suggested some punitive measures designed to wound the regime's pride without harming the Chinese people: cancel the Huawei deal; pass a Magnitsky-style Act targeting senior CPC figures; champion the Uyghurs at every opportunity (e.g. rename the London street that houses the Chinese embassy after a Uyghur political prisoner); and recognize Taiwan as an independent nation. All I would add, upon reflection, is this: grant British citizenship to Hong Kongers born before 1 July 1997, their children and grandchildren. Even if just a fraction of Hong Kong's residents took up the opportunity, every one would be a small humiliation for the dictatorship. Given the government's softly-softly approach, we probably shouldn't get our hopes up for anything beyond Huawei cancellation, and even that's far from guaranteed. Even absent the ministerial gumption to impose sanctions on Beijing, there will have to be a strategic rethink of our relationship with the People's Republic. If this is how it behaves in a US-led world order, it is unlikely to be any more benevolent as a rival (or replacement) superpower.

"While abandoning global free trade and economic interdependence would prove a costly mistake, it would be just as foolish to remain in hock to a regime that, in the most generous reading of events, caused thousands of avoidable British deaths to save face. However, reshoring and rebuilding key manufacturing sectors is only a partial solution. We need to trade but our trading priorities are subject to political and security considerations. China is our second-largest trading partner while India is our sixth. It would be in the UK's interests to reverse that ordering. Of course, to make a change like that you need a government with a bit of backbone and it's not at all clear that we have one."

In Germany, Development Minister Gerd Müller said that the Chinese government "had to show complete openness in this world crisis, especially with regard to the origin of the virus." The statement was the most forceful of any German cabinet member to date. Chancellor Angela Merkel distanced herself from the remark, saying that it had not been discussed in the cabinet:

"I believe that the more transparent China is about the history of this virus, the better it is for all of us around the world who want to learn from it. But we didn't have this specific discussion."

German commentator Constantin Eckner noted that the coronavirus has exposed Germany's dependency on its trade relations with China, which Germany needs to overcome the current crisis:

"For years now, Germany has been leaning on China for cheap supply and as a market for its exports. Following the 2008 financial crisis, when most of Europe was suffering, Germany kept itself rather unscathed thanks to a strong export-orientated economy and partly thanks to China. Germany was not concerned about any geo-economic advances Beijing was making. It cared little about the 16+1 forum with Central and Eastern European countries launched in 2012 or the Belt and Road Initiative unveiled in 2013, and the 'Made in China 2025' strategy intended to establish Chinese dominance in emerging technologies....

"Publicly Berlin has positioned itself against Xi Jinping's 'mask diplomacy' since the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, condemning attempts to exploit the crisis politically or economically. But behind closed doors, senior officials acknowledge that the domestic economy needs China just like it did in the aftermath of 2008, or possibly even more. Germany has the highest export ratio among the G20 — about 47 per cent of its GDP. A demand shock of global proportion puts a lot of manufacturers in a tough spot. As China is recovering from the pandemic faster than the rest of the world, Germany might end up tying itself closer to the economic giant than before the crisis....

"These desperate times could make Merkel forge a new alliance with Xi, accepting that Germany cannot survive without the Chinese market and financial firepower, but also knowing that Beijing will not be shy to exploit such a dependency to further its geoeconomic goals. For its future prosperity, Germany may be forced to look east."

Europe's most forceful action against China has been taken by the Netherlands, which recently renamed its de facto embassy in Taiwan. The Netherlands Trade and Investment Office is now called "Netherlands Office Taipei." China responded by threatening to halt shipments of medical supplies, a threat that could ring hollow: the Netherlands recently recalled 600,000 substandard medical masks that had been imported from China.

While Europeans cower in the face of Communist China, they have found time to issue threats against the only democracy in the Middle East. On April 30, eleven European ambassadors to Israel warned Jerusalem of "severe consequences" if it goes ahead with plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

In a lengthy essay published by Die Welt, Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, Europe's largest publishing company, argued that the time has come for Europe to choose between the United States and China:

"Once a treatment for the virus has been found, the debates about shutdown and easing restrictions have passed, and the recession has reared its ugly head, nothing less than the world order itself must be clarified. Or to be more specific: the matter of alliance. Where does Europe stand? On the side of the US or China?...

"America has clearly decided to pursue a policy of 'decoupling' from China. If Europe does not want to see its freedom subverted by Beijing, it must decide which of the two countries to ally with, and it must do so soon.

"We are told time and again that it is not a case of either-or, that it's about having the best of both worlds. The opposite is true. There is no need for finely crafted rhetoric here, we need to make a fundamental political decision. China or the US. It is no longer possible to go with both....

"Europe has been avoiding the alliance question for a long time, but it is now time to make that decision. This does not directly have to do with the coronavirus crisis. And it certainly has nothing to do with the question of where the virus originated.

"The crisis focuses the way we look at long-standing dependencies, even those in so-called vital supply chains, how we see fundamental differences in communication and crisis management, and our regard for what is ultimately a completely different concept of humanity....

"Europe has failed so far to clearly state where it stands, preferring to play piggy in the middle, able to tip the scales either way. Even believing its opportunism to be a sign of independence and courage. However, Europe will never be able to hold onto its position as everybody's darling. When it comes to questions of world order, you cannot have your cake and eat it....

"Europe's economy likes making deals with China and does not want to be interrupted in those pursuits. Politicians are dithering. The Italians have even been willing to subjugate themselves to China's ridiculous euphemism of the 'New Silk Road.'

"We increasingly hear words of admiration in Europe about the speed and efficiency of the Chinese market economy, the rigorous nature of its crisis management. All the time gladly ignoring the fact that China's successes rest on a highly perfected system of digital surveillance that translates the perversions of the KGB and Stasi into the 21st century....

"Economic relations with China might seem harmless to many Europeans today, but they could soon lead to political dependence and ultimately to the end of a free and liberal Europe. The European Union has the choice. But above all Germany, Europe's economic motor, has the choice.

"Should we make a pact with an authoritarian regime or should we work to strengthen a community of free, constitutionally governed market economies with liberal societies? It is remarkable that German politics, with its love of moralizing, seems to throw its values out the window when dealing with China. What is at stake here is nothing less than what kind of society we want to live in and our concept of humanity....

"If current European and, above all, German policy on China continues, this will lead to a gradual decoupling from America and a step-by-step infiltration and subjugation by China. Economic dependence will only be the first step. Political influence will follow.

"In the end, it is quite simple. What kind of future do we want for Europe? An alliance with an imperfect democracy or with a perfect dictatorship? It should be an easy decision for us to make. It is about more than just money. It is about our freedom, about Article 1 of Germany's Basic Law, the greatest legal term that ever existed: human dignity."

Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.

© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Related Topics: China, Coronavirus

Recent Articles by Soeren Kern

Belgium's Prisoner Swap Treaty with Iran: "A Deal with the Devil", 2022-08-12
EU: Last-Ditch Effort to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal, 2022-08-04
Australia: New Government Maintains Hardline Stance on China, 2022-07-22
Russia Gives NATO New Lease on Life, 2022-07-14
EU Signs Deal with Egypt and Israel to Boost Gas Exports to Europe, 2022-06-30

receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free gatestone institute mailing list.

Comment on this item

28 Reader Comments

Gabor Ujvari • May 13, 2020 at 20:57

Yes, the US is an imperfect democracy, which saved Europe from evil powers in the past hundred years.
China is a perfect dictatorship which threatens Europe in the past decades.
The gutless, left wing European leaders think that they are brave, independent figures when they betray the US.
The same gutless, left wing European leaders think that they are clever when they cave in to China in a subservient manner.
Europe is committing national suicide with this short-sighted policy.

Reply->

Naomi Be • May 10, 2020 at 02:35

Reading the above article the throat closes and tears of rage threaten to flow.
Where are the descendants of a proud Roman empire.... the leaders of the British empire? Where are the creators or German technologies and engineering... The fearless leaders of the French revolution...?
Decades of misguided 'education' where everyone gets a gold star and a new iphone is more important then history lessons created weak, pathetic, gutless, flip flop 'leaders'.
Selling.. No, Gifting!... Our freedoms and hard earned Democracies to the Empire of cheap trash and theft without honour. SHAME on the EU!!

Reply->

Donald Link • May 9, 2020 at 16:58

I strongly recommend that the Europeans take out their translated copies of Faust and The Devil and Daniel Webster and refresh themselves on the consequences of trying to deal with the devil. On this 75th anniversary of the end of WW II, it is truly amazing how short are memories.

Reply->

Will • May 8, 2020 at 08:21

So since the end of WWII, the US fought Communism all over the world (eg "Cold War" with USSR; Korea; Vietnam, etc.). But, from Nixon onwards, successive US administrations have chosen to cosy up to the Chinese Communists and thus over the last half century, American production and businesses have moved to China, which culminated in the US, under Clinton, granting "Most Favored Nation" trade status to China. And this despite the vast differences in our respective culture, history, government and values!

Basically the US has indirectly funded the expansion of Red China's increasingly aggressive armed forces and sophisticated surveillance until now and unless drastic changes are made soon we'll have learned too late that we had sown the seeds of our own downfall decades ago by foolishly selling our children's birthright to a foreign Communist government! And with this Chinese pandemic taking its toll on our lives and liberties I foresee a time that if we're not careful we'll curtail our freedoms to the point that like the Communist police state that is the Chinese digital dystopia, to defeat the enemy we'll turn into the enemy ourselves!

Reply->

The Bergbok • May 7, 2020 at 14:00

Europe is currently weakened on many levels, has mostly weak submissive leaders in control at present, the European Union seems to be in the process of disintegration in the not to distant future due to the North-South financial policies as well as the East-West divergent attitudes to large scale third world immigration to the continent.
To revert back to smaller independent states comes with its own challenges, proven with a long history of bloody conflicts which led to the loss of millions of precious European lives. Therefore the EU in its present form should be disbanded & replaced with a new representative organisation staffed with democratically elected officials (who can be recalled by their countries or voted out) United we stand, divided we fall.
Compulsory military training for a period of 2 years for young males, should be implemented as soon as the present EU has been replaced, dual citizenship holders are excluded for obvious reasons.
A collective agreement much like the NATO to unite the independent countries in the event of military aggression has to be in place.

Reply->

Franklin Paredes • May 7, 2020 at 13:21

A dictatorship that persecutes Christians, and is afraid of the truth to be known, is not a reliable source of information, but of disinformation. I we should not even make business with them. Every country should be independent in energy, economy, food supply and above all freedom to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Reply->

Bisley • May 7, 2020 at 12:06

The CCP is displaying its mastery of economic/political warfare, and Europe's political leadership its cowardice and stupidity. Instead of reducing dependence on China to avoid being coerced in the future, these idiots are surrendering in advance. If the communists can maintain control of China over the long term, they will control Europe as well. Socialism and the EU (and the brain-dead politicians forcing them on their people) will destroy Europe.

Stephen Daisley has the right idea. If Tory MPs were any good, they'd rebel against the party leadership, put an end to the Huawei deal, and mount a real opposition to Chinese expansion.

Reply->

Rich Corona

Bisley • May 7, 2020 at 17:17

It is time to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country. It is also time to free the Honk Kong people from China's communist boot. Britain was such a fool to turn a free people over to such conniving deceitful government. It should be null and void. FREE HONG KONG!

Reply->

Bisley

Rich Corona • May 8, 2020 at 14:00

You're advocating for war with China (which they intend on eventually, but not until they believe they can win). I would be in favor of forcing them to go before they think they're ready, but I doubt that there's any taste for it in the US government.

Hong Kong cannot be freed without overturning the present Chinese government. It was returned to China because it couldn't survive on the territory of the original Crown Colony. When the lease expired in 1997 on the seven-eighths of its area that was leased from China, it was finished. Its water and power supplies, port facilities, etc. were mostly on this leased land, with the rest, and most of its food coming from China. Without control over the leased portion (New Territories) and access to supply from China, Hong Kong would be a dark, thirsty, starving island -- there is no free Hong Kong without the cooperation of the Chinese government (not this one).

China insists on maintaining the fiction that Taiwan is an estranged province of China to provide them an excuse to invade and annex it when they're ready. Open declaration and recognition of Taiwan's independence would probably force them to immediately take Taiwan before the US put some sort of military installation there, or other factors complicated the issue.

I'm very much in favor of a free Taiwan and Hong Kong, and I don't doubt that Trump is -- but he's not inclined to go to war with China. I suspect he wants to break them economically (as Reagan did with the USSR), but I don't see how he can do it without the cooperation of Congress, and he's not going to get it from the present leadership of either party.

Reply->

Joseph • May 7, 2020 at 10:22

First, The USA and China are not going to go to war militarily. Their fight is economic and is probably going to escalate.
Most of the crumbling EU plus the UK are going to try to have the best of both worlds, continue to trade with both and maintain increasing limits on the abilities of the Chinese to gobble up more and more assets.
"Yes, we will buy your cheap copied goods produced by slave labour - but we won't let you buy any more big companies or assets"
But the pathetic French and Germans - with the Brits not far behind - will still chase after the Chinese and clash with the US.

Reply->

John Braeman • May 7, 2020 at 10:03

Trump should bluntly warn Europeans they must choose between China and the U.S. by ending NATO if they fail to do so and substituting bilateral treaties with individual countries.

Reply->

Fred • May 7, 2020 at 10:03

The EU and the United States never learn. China represent the greatest threat to the economies of Europe and America. It is important to bring manufacturing back to Europe and America in order to be self-reliant.

The second most important issue to be dealt with is the removal of all Chinese students from our universities, especially in science and engineering. There is no point educating them to to be competitive with Europe and the United States. Also, all H-1B visas for Chinese working in the United States should be cancelled and sent back to China.

The United States made the same mistake educating Iranians years ago in various science and engineering fields and now they are developing their own nuclear weapons. Many received advanced degrees in nuclear physics.

Reply->

Staffan Bodemar • May 7, 2020 at 10:03

Good summary! An independent investigation seems to be called for.

Reply->

Sejaan • May 7, 2020 at 09:36

All this "prudence" with the CCP, while allowing to my knowledge the go ahead of the super-highway (the New silk trade route) from Beijing & the "rapid troop transport capable bullet trains" into the heart of Europe. Who would even dare to challenge these movements at their borders with the likes of the present leadership still persisting in the states of Europe, should these opportunities present themselves.

Reply->

Hadassah M. Cohen • May 7, 2020 at 09:05

I find the situation perfectly hilarious, with the endless rounds of EU, and EU states libel, slander, direct interference in national sovereignty and "moralizing" about Israel and the MENA, and now, kissing the toes of the insanely Universalist/Globalist ChiComms, who actually do the things the EU likes to slander Israel with.

The Middle Kingdom has never disappeared, but is even less tolerant, or respectful of outsiders than it ever was.

Reply->

Kriemhild • May 7, 2020 at 08:30

What is wrong with China is the Communist leaders --- the people are actually pro-Western and suffer under the Communist rule. There are more pianos per capita in China than in any other country --- every parent wants his child to play the piano, and the Chinese love Western music. In 1986 Pavarotti made a tour of china, riding his bicycle around everywhere wearing one of his colorful Hawaiian shirts, waving to the crowds, singing concerts in many places and topping it off with a performance of "La Boheme" --- the theater was packed to overflowing, with many huge screens placed all around and thousands of people watching --- they were all crying from their deep emotion --- this is what they want, something beautiful, not Communist dogma. And in 1993, Pavarotti sang a concert in Central Park --- hundreds of big screens were placed all around and many thousands of people came, eating their picnics on the grass and listening to the beautiful music --- this is what people want, not politics.

Reply->

Mike O'Neill • May 7, 2020 at 08:28

* a moral vacuum in which they refuse to stand up for Western values *
An apposite use of words. It's quite correct to say so, but it's driven by what? Commercial surrender, convenient low costs to enable the consumer boom to continue all over the West? That has to be a factor.
Worse is that Pope Francis allows the ChiComms to dictate to him on the appointment of bishops to the faithful in China. Complete moral failure.

However, the suggestion to "champion the Uyghurs" may be a dissonance too far. As a group, they are targeted, but so are Falun Gong and the RC Church, so are independent-minded souls in Hong Kong.

Reply->

Graham Richards • May 7, 2020 at 08:21

The EU & its socialist member states are living in a bubble of denial. They imagine that China & indeed the whole of the third world are peopled with well-intentioned educated people with similar industrial cultures teeming with well educated & innovative individuals. Wrong, so very wrong. One has to live in those countries under those governments for about 3 months to realise the truth.
Include China in this. Therein lies the threat to western civilisation.

Reply->

David Polovin • May 7, 2020 at 06:51

I became disabused of all notions of European morality when the persecuted history of European Jewry first penetrated my consciousness. Europeans choose to be led by moral manikins who kowtow to expedience, cowardice and greed every time. Expect nothing else and there will be no disappointment. How odd, that a thoroughly unpalatable American is the visionary and all that's left to defend us.

Reply->

Dave Mcloughlin • May 7, 2020 at 06:27

Bottom line the CCP are tooling up for a war with the west (USA?) to establish, (initially) a pacific hegemony. The CCP are morally bankrupt, mass murdering big brothers. Their economy is a giant ponzi scheme. Why are so many affluent Chinese
externalising their money to civilised western countries (and inflating housing prices)? China has prospered despite the CCP; the latter has flouted the civilised rules based system to to buggery and beyond. CCP is EVIL.

Reply->

Hans Lembøl • May 7, 2020 at 06:22

European leaders are just being realistic. China is no worse than so many other countries, and China is the up and coming world power. It would bring the Europeans absolutely nothing to copy the confrontational policy of the US. On the contrary, as the US is beating the battle drums, the Europeans are trading. This is called realpolitik. Let the Chinese decide which kind of system they want. It's not the business of the Europeans (or of the US, for that matter) to interfere with that.

Reply->

Paul Evans

Hans Lembøl • May 7, 2020 at 09:10

"China is no worse than so many other countries".
Then go live there. What Europe needs to do is become independent for the good of their people but their own corrupt politicians don't want that.

Reply->

MarWes

Hans Lembøl • May 7, 2020 at 16:42

Do you really believe that the Chinese are able to decide what kind of system they want? Oh, my...

Reply->

Hans Lembøl

MarWes • May 8, 2020 at 12:09

Maybe not this year or the next. And who says that they want another system. It has provided development and prosperity for millions and millions of Chinese.
Do you or any other know what the Chinese people want? It is certainly not for anyone but the Chinese themselves to decide what they want.

Reply->

Gabor Ujvari • May 7, 2020 at 06:16

Reply->

Peter Fieldman • May 7, 2020 at 05:58

The USA and China plus other nations like Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have always been able to play with Europe since the EU is only a name, there is no European leader or European Government. Each country is seduced into doing deals for economic or political reasons, making unanimity impossible. Either Europe speaks with one voice or it is doomed

Reply->

Brian Giesbrecht

Peter Fieldman • May 7, 2020 at 09:51

The pandemic has brought into sharp relief the true nature of Communist China. On January 23, 2020 the CCP stopped all traffic from Wuhan to other points in China but failed to stop flights out of Wuhan to all points worldwide. The CCP then actively opposed flight bans. Millions were infected as a result of the CCP's racist and truly evil decision to save China and infect the world. If anyone still doubts that the CCP remains "the Party of Mao" what they did with that decision should remove all doubts.

Reply->

Selma Soss

Peter Fieldman • May 7, 2020 at 12:00

I couldn't agree more with Peter Fieldman. The European Union appears to be only a name. A shame that there has been no unity as far as working on such large issues as the China Coronavirus which has had a large effect, certainly in Italy and Spain and other parts of Europe.
I can never forget the persecution of Jews by Hitler in WWII, and some of the European countries that supported him. I am off the European Union, my energies going for the most part only to my own beloved country.

Reply->