‘China … is now more a competitor and a systemic rival: Our dependencies toward China in the key sectors are our vulnerability,’ Kaja Kallas said.
China must bear a “higher cost” for its support in keeping Russia’s war machine going, the European Union’s foreign policy chief-designate said on Nov. 12.
While members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have the power to reject the European Commissioners-designate, Kallas was widely expected to sail through the approval process.
During the three-hour session, she addressed a wide array of topics, tackling issues related to multiple global conflict hotspots—from the ongoing wars in Ukraine to the EU’s approach toward the incoming Trump administration, along with strategies for countering China’s growing influence in Africa.
Kallas identified “two pressing issues” in engaging with a more aggressive China: the structural imbalances between Brussels and Beijing that foster unfair competition and China’s backing of Russia amid the Ukraine conflict.
At the hearing, Kallas emphasized the rival nature of the EU–China relationship but omitted reference to the partnership aspect.
“China has changed over the past few years. It is now more a competitor and a systemic rival: Our dependencies toward China in the key sectors are our vulnerability,” she said. “We need to de-risk.”
“I see actors such as Russia, China, North Korea, [and] Iran aiming to change the rules-based international order,” she told MEPs.
“I see China and Russia weaponizing interdependencies and exploiting the openness of our societies against us. We must be aware of what the threat is and respond accordingly, together with our closest allies and partners and without losing one inch of who we are.”
When later asked about the EU’s response to the collaboration between these authoritarian states, Kallas stated, “We have to be very clear that it has consequences.”
“China’s support for Russia, for example, we should signal to China that it has a higher cost for them,” she said, without specifying.