New EU diplomat vows tough stance on China, strong alliance with US

VIENNA, AUSTRIA — 

Kaja Kallas, the European Union's adjacent overseas argumentation chief, is already sending signals that she volition instrumentality a pugnacious stance connected Russia and China and beryllium an advocator for a beardown confederation betwixt Europe and America.

Kallas spoke to the European Parliament for the archetypal clip successful her caller relation astatine a proceeding connected November 12, wherever she stressed that the EU volition beryllium steadfast successful its committedness to enactment Ukraine against Russian aggression.

She begins her five-year word arsenic the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy connected December 1.

The erstwhile Estonian premier curate warned that Russia, Iran, North Korea and — much covertly — China privation to alteration the rules-based satellite order. She called connected the EU to respond to this menace alongside its closest allies and partners "without losing an inch of who we are."

Elze Pinelyte, an adept astatine the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) with a absorption connected Sino-EU relations, told VOA Mandarin that Kallas' policies "remain firmly supporting Ukraine's victory."

In effect to worries that the incoming Trump medication whitethorn trim U.S. enactment for Ukraine, Kallas stressed that the United States' strategical interests successful China are inseparable from the result of the warfare connected Ukraine.

"If the U.S. is disquieted astir China and different actors, they should besides beryllium disquieted astir however we respond to Russia against Ukraine," Kallas said during the November 12 hearing.

Ivan U. Kłyszcz, a researcher astatine the Estonian International Defense and Security Center, told VOA Mandarin, that Kallas "reflects the presumption that Europe needs to bash much for its ain defence and security, and this is not inconsistent with NATO and the European and American alliance."

As for whether the 2nd Trump medication volition alteration Brussels' considerations, helium said, "there are inactive excessively galore unknowns."

Tougher argumentation toward China

Kallas' pugnacious stance toward China was archetypal seen during her tenure arsenic premier curate of Estonia, erstwhile her authorities advocated that Estonia's China argumentation should beryllium promoted wrong the model of EU-China relations.

In 2022, Estonia announced its withdrawal from the Beijing-led "Cooperation betwixt China and Central and Eastern European Countries," the alleged "16+1" mechanism.

After the European Parliament elections this year, Kallas was nominated arsenic the campaigner for caller overseas argumentation chief. She past resigned arsenic premier curate of Estonia.

Some experts accidental Kallas volition instrumentality a tougher argumentation toward China than her predecessor Josep Borrell.

Pinelyte agreed and added that Kallas apt volition "seek enactment to bounds China's quality to combat Russia's war."

Since Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022, the EU has condemned Beijing's enactment for Moscow. Kallas said that without China's support, "Russia cannot support the warfare with the aforesaid intensity."

China should look "a higher cost" for supporting Russia successful the warfare against Ukraine, Kallas said, hinting astatine much deterrent sanctions.

In October, Kallas wrote to the European Parliament that during her tenure arsenic EU precocious typical connected overseas policy, she would beryllium committed to countering Russia's "imperialist dream" and China's "unfair competition."

A commercialized quality betwixt the EU and China implicit products specified arsenic electrical vehicles has lasted for much than a year, and negotiations are inactive ongoing. The EU said China's ample subsidies for electrical vehicles represent unfair competition.

Unpredictable alliance

It is not wide whether the Trump medication volition proceed to supply information guarantees and enactment to Ukraine, and whether it volition enforce higher tariffs connected the European Union.

Given the United States' greater absorption connected the Indo-Pacific portion and its strategical contention with China, galore European leaders are calling connected the EU to trim its information dependence connected the United States.

Pinelyte astatine EESC said "Kallas seems to person taken bureau astatine a clip erstwhile the thought of an confederation with the United States is outdated."

Abigael Vasselier, manager of argumentation and European affairs astatine the German Mercator Institute for China Studies, told VOA that the EU needs to debar the authorities of panic it fell into with the archetypal Trump administration.

Instead, she said, it indispensable question to coordinate with the 2nd Trump administration, including "making recommendations" connected China issues.

"The EU needs to beryllium prepared due to the fact that the Trump and Biden administrations volition person wholly antithetic approaches to China," she said.