Avrupa Parlamentosu Çin'e karşı sertleşti: Tayvan Boğazı'nda donanma tatbikatı çağrısı

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday. It agreed to a much tougher position on China. In total, 454 members voted yes and 86 voted no. Another 110 members did not choose a side. The report does not change EU policy directly.

The report says China strongly helps Russia in the war against Ukraine. It asks for European navy ships and joint exercises around the Taiwan Strait. It also says China's industry policy is a threat to the EU. The report wants the EU to act quickly.

The report came out one day before EU-China trade talks in Beijing. For years, China lobbied the Parliament to soften its position. Last year, China removed its sanctions on members of parliament. Socialist and left groups asked for more contact with China. Centre and right groups mostly wanted a tougher line. China's office at the EU did not answer questions about the report.

The European Parliament has approved a much tougher position on China. This happened although Beijing has been lobbying for years to soften the official line. The parliament said that Beijing is a "decisive enabler" of Russia. It also asked for a continuous European naval presence and joint exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait.

The report was passed by a large majority on Wednesday. In total, 454 members voted in favour and 86 voted against, while 110 abstained. The report does not directly affect EU policy on China. However, it shows the tough view on China that has developed in Brussels.

The report says that China's industrial policy is an "existential threat" to the EU. It also says that China's electric vehicle market is a "major threat" to Europe. The report accuses Beijing of helping Russia get around sanctions. China says that it is neutral in the war.

The parliament was divided. Socialist and left-wing members generally asked for more contact with China. However, centre and right-wing groups mostly took a harder line. The report was published one day before important EU-China trade talks in Beijing.

The European Parliament has approved a much tougher stance on China, despite years of heavy lobbying by Beijing to soften its official line. On Wednesday, MEPs adopted the report by a large majority: 454 voted in favour, 86 voted against and 110 abstained. The report does not directly affect EU policy on China, but it clarifies the tough consensus that has formed in Brussels since the parliament last changed its official line in 2023.

The parliament described Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia and called for a continuous European naval presence and joint exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait. It also demanded quick action against Chinese industrial policy, which it called an "existential threat for the EU". The report says the EU reserves the right to take unilateral measures under its economic security strategy whenever contacts with Chinese authorities prove ineffective or insufficient.

EU-China relations have worsened, although many people had expected Donald Trump's return to power last year to bring the two sides closer together. Instead, trade tensions have risen, and the lack of any sign that Russia's war against Ukraine is ending has deepened concerns about closer ties between Beijing and Moscow. The parliament was also shaken by several espionage scandals linked to China, even though it had moved to normalise relations with Beijing last year.

The parliament's own records show that the lead author, Hilde Vautmans, met delegations from mainland China six times this year while preparing the text. She also spoke to Taiwanese representatives three times and to the World Uyghur Congress twice. The phrase "systemic rival", which had been removed from earlier drafts, returned to the adopted text. However, Beijing may be pleased with two amendments proposed by the socialist group, which put "comprehensive strategic partnership" back into the text.

The divide between the groups was clear: socialist and left-wing members generally called for more contact, while centrist and right-wing groups largely took a harder line. Javi Lopez, a vice president of the parliament, said, "Firmness does not mean confrontation." The report was published one day before key EU-China trade talks in Beijing.

The European Parliament has endorsed a markedly tougher stance towards China, despite years of intensive lobbying by Beijing to soften the assembly's official line. In a report adopted on Wednesday, MEPs described Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia. They also called for a "continuous [European] naval presence and joint exercises" in and around the Taiwan Strait. In addition, they demanded swift action against Chinese industrial policy, which the text labels an "existential threat to the EU".

The report passed by a landslide, with 454 votes in favour, 86 against and 110 abstentions. Although it does not directly shape EU policy, it clarifies the hawkish consensus that has emerged in Brussels since the parliament last changed its official line in 2023. Relations have deteriorated during that period, even though many had expected US President Donald Trump's return to power last year to bring the two sides closer together.

The outcome may be disappointing for Beijing, which has devoted considerable lobbying resources to the parliament for years and has been partly successful. Beijing also lifted sanctions on MEPs that had been in force since 2021. According to the parliament's records, Vautmans, the report's lead author, met delegations from mainland China six times this year while drafting the text.

The term "systematic rival", the EU's official label for China since 2019, had been removed from earlier drafts. Sources indicate that Vautmans dropped it to placate the Socialist and Democrat groups, but it returned in the adopted text. Beijing may nevertheless welcome two socialist amendments that reinstated "comprehensive strategic partnership" to describe EU-China relations. These changes also pushed security into the background and removed reciprocity as the main guiding principle.

The divide between the groups was plain to see, as socialist and left-wing members generally urged more engagement, whereas centrist and right-wing groups largely favoured a tougher line. Engin Eroglu, who chairs the parliament's China delegation and often visits Beijing, said: "China is a systematic rival... China understands only one language: not diplomacy, but power." Parliament Vice-President Javi Lopez, a socialist ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, struck a different note. Lopez said: "Resolve does not mean confrontation... Our relations with China cannot be built on a two-bloc, polarised view of the world."

Published a day before critical EU-China trade talks in Beijing, the report urged Brussels to take a harder line. It warned that Chinese industrial overcapacity threatens to hollow out the EU's industrial core, while the country's electric vehicle market poses a "major threat" to Europe's security and economy. The document also accuses Beijing of being a decisive enabler of Russia's "illegal and unprovoked war of aggression" and of helping Russia circumvent sanctions. China maintains that it is neutral in the war and continues normal trade with Russia.

Despite years of intensive lobbying to soften Beijing's official line, the European Parliament on Wednesday endorsed a markedly tougher stance towards China. The chamber judged Beijing a "decisive enabler" of Russia, called for a "constant [European] naval presence and joint exercises" in and around the Taiwan Strait, and demanded swift action against Chinese industrial policy, which it branded an "existential threat to the EU". MEPs adopted the report by an overwhelming majority, with 454 in favour, 86 against and 110 abstaining.

Although the report does not directly shape EU policy on China, it crystallises the hard-nosed consensus that has formed in Brussels since the chamber last changed its official line in 2023. Relations have soured in the interim, even though many had assumed that US President Donald Trump's return to power last year would draw the two sides closer. Instead, trade tensions escalated, and Russia's war against Ukraine, which shows no sign of ending, deepened concern about the rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow. The chamber itself was rocked by several China-linked espionage scandals, despite having moved last year to normalise ties with Beijing.

Beijing may find the outcome disappointing, since it has devoted substantial lobbying resources to the Parliament for years and has met with partial success. According to Parliament's records, the report's lead author, Belgian centrist MEP Hilde Vautmans, met delegations from mainland China six times while drafting it this year, Taiwanese representatives three times and the World Uyghur Congress twice.

The phrase "systemic rival", the EU's official label for China since 2019, had been struck from earlier drafts, reportedly because Vautmans sought to placate the Socialist and Democrat groups. It nonetheless found its way back into the adopted text. Beijing may also be pleased with two Socialist amendments, aimed at softening the report's framing, which reinstated the phrase "comprehensive strategic partnership" to describe EU-China ties. Stressing the avoidance of decoupling and bloc confrontation and the preservation of dialogue and cooperation, they pushed security into the background and stripped reciprocity out of the text as the main guiding principle.

The split between groups was plain to see, as Socialist and left-wing members generally called for more engagement while centrist and right-wing groups largely took a harder line. Engin Eroglu, who chairs Parliament's China delegation and visits Beijing frequently, said: "China is a systemic rival... China understands only one language: not that of diplomacy, but that of strength." Vautmans told Tuesday evening's session: "We have watched China push the limits of international law. Tomorrow this chamber can send a clear message: no more dumping, no more espionage, fair competition."

Published a day before critical EU-China trade talks in Beijing, the report urged Brussels to take a tougher line. It warned that Chinese industrial overcapacity threatens to hollow out the EU's industrial core, and that the country's electric-vehicle market is a "major threat" to Europe in security and economic terms. It also accused Beijing of being a decisive enabler of Russia's "illegal and unprovoked war of aggression" against Ukraine, as the largest supplier of dual-use goods and by helping Russia to circumvent sanctions. China, however, maintains that it is neutral in the war and continues normal trade with Russia.