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It is a bunch of sanctions that the EU foreign ministers have imposed today. These decisions dovetail with the strategy, which has been particularly evident since last summer. In autumn, the EU imposed sanctions against people in Belarus and against people in Russia, among other things, and now there are also sanctions against people in China for the crackdown on Uighurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region.
The strategy behind it: In terms of foreign policy, the European Union would like to be perceived more strongly as a power bloc and as a defender of human rights. With the sanctions against people and an organization in China, the EU is leaving the level of pure dialogue and changing its strategy towards the People’s Republic.
Economic relationships are still important
The European Union and individual member states, such as Germany or the Netherlands, have been publicly criticizing the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang region for a long time. So far, the European Union has cracked down on sanctions due to economic relations, which are supposed to be strengthened by the investment deal.
Because sanctions, even if they are only directed against individuals and an organization, send a clearer signal of resentment to the Beijing government and anger President Xi Jinping more than purely verbal criticism. They may also turn out to be countermeasures, which China has already taken following today’s decision by the foreign ministers.
In addition to the stronger foreign policy of the EU, the sanctions imposed today are also a consequence of the new sanctioning rules that have been in force since last December. These allow the European Union to take specific actions against individuals and organizations associated with human rights violations. Therefore, it is logical that public criticism of China is followed by action.
Strengthen transatlantic relations
The sanctions against China can also be seen in a broader context. With today’s decision by the foreign ministers, the European Union is clearly positioning itself on the side of the new administration of US President Joe Biden.
More recently, the United States voiced its strong criticism of the People’s Republic of China at the meeting of the two world powers in Alaska last Friday. Therefore, the EU sanctions against China are also a signal from Brussels to Washington that the transatlantic relationship, which suffered greatly under President Trump, must be strengthened and expanded again.
However, the EU’s criticism of China is not as strong as that of the United States. Among other things, this has to do with the fact that the EU is not ready to take a firmer position against China. The investment deal that was negotiated at the end of the German Council Presidency last year must now be implemented. Furthermore, the economic interests of individual member states are too different to be sufficient for a stricter joint approach by the EU.
Michael Rauchstein
SRF television correspondent in Brussels
