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Instead, they ended up talking about Brexit.
The fact that UK legislators have spent the last 33 months since the country voted for the EU to fail to hear about how to do so has thrown many keys into the workings bloc complexes, whose leaders desperately need to put in place unified policies on several issues, but on the contrary are constantly derailed by the only Member State that, at least in theory, does not want to be there.
However, there is considerable disagreement within the bloc about how to achieve this balance. Some members, especially Germany, are becoming increasingly bellicose towards Beijing, both as an economic and security challenge, while other countries remain eager to accommodate Chinese investments.
Italy and China
Italy's participation in the Xi project represents not only an economic victory for Beijing, but also a potential for future use against the EU as a whole, said Lucrezia Poggetti, a research badociate at the I-39. Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies, based in Berlin (MERICS). ).
"China is very eager to treat the EU countries separately rather than as a bloc," she said. "In bilateral relations, China has the upper hand because of its enormous economic power compared to that of individual European countries".
"In both cases, Greece feared to upset the Chinese government and potentially lose access to economic opportunities promised by Beijing, so it broke ranks with the EU," Poggetti said. "Hungary has also been more openly close to China on the political level".
Chinese carrots
While Beijing historically has closer ties with some European countries (and weaker with the countries that had once invaded and colonized it), a recent and evolving dynamic has seen EU members 39 to confront China in intra-union quarrels.
"The problem is that the EU does not have effective mechanisms to deal with serious conflicts between member states, prompting EU nations to call on outside actors to challenge the status quo. quo, "he said.
In particular, while the hostility towards the whole of the European project is spreading and affects not only the United Kingdom, but also Italy, Hungary and the United States. other Member States, the opportunities for China to find new willing partners are increasing.
"It is even easier for Beijing to widen the gap between European and Eurosceptic governments," Poggetti said. "The EU must prepare for the resistance of Italy – influential member of the EU as the founder of the Union and the third largest economy of the euro area – in favor of the EU. a common policy of China and Europe. "
A successful Britain at Brexit, supported by new trade agreements with China, could also encourage other member states to follow their own path.
Jonathan Sullivan, an expert on China at the University of Nottingham, said that "the power of the EU, as it is, in international trade and external relations, is based on acting in unison ".
"So, if a country wants to penetrate any sector in Europe, trying to promote disunity or" separate the Member States "and treat them individually is a powerful strategy," he said.
"Beijing has had difficulties dealing with the EU in many sectors for various reasons, and the incentive to try to weaken the EU's ability to act in a concerted and unified manner. is strong. "
Outside pressure
"Trump has tried the method, criticizing Germany for defense, suspending long-awaited political awards in front of Poland and the United Kingdom, and touting the merits of the Italian coalition," said Macaes.
"Russia is a long-time but extremely clumsy operator, and China understands how to fit into these debates."
Meeting this challenge will require something that has been strikingly missing from European policy in recent years: unity.
But while external pressure has so far largely favored a greater division, badysts believe that this could also help bring the bloc closer, as EU member states begin to perceive the costs badociated with to deal with an actor as powerful as China, and to return to the original goal. policies at the block level.
External pressures could also help trigger a long-needed reform of the way in which these policies are developed, allowing the EU to benefit equally for all its members.
European leaders just need to settle Brexit first. And the refugee crisis. And pbad the elections to the European Parliament. And put in place a plan to combat the effects of climate change. And…
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