As China attempts to spread its authoritarian values across the globe, and especially as the competition between China and the United States intensifies, Europe has conspicuously avoided siding with the United States over China, according to Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for A New American Security, and Rachel Rizzo. an adjunct fellow at CNAS based in Berlin.
European leaders remain convinced they can uphold the values and norms they share with Washington while benefiting economically from greater engagement with China. This stance is short-sighted and dangerous—putting liberal democracy in peril. What would it look like for Europe to get off the fence? they ask in POLITICO:
5G is at the forefront of the debate. Europe should follow Japan, Australia and New Zealand’s example and ban high-risk vendors like Huawei from building its 5G infrastructure….- Europe could also work with the United States to develop a joint response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which serves as a conduit for China’s influence and tactics. Here Europe and the United States could develop common transparency, environmental and social standards, and pool their financial resources to jointly invest in those countries where their interests are most at stake.
- Similarly, Europe could work with Washington to better insulate supply chains against Chinese influence. Finally, Europe and the United States could develop a set of common rules for data privacy and artificial intelligence and vocally criticize China for its blatant human rights abuses.
- But at the heart of the matter, Europe must clearly communicate to Beijing that it will unequivocally side with America to uphold democratic norms and standards.
