Cynicism explains a flawed new EU-China commercial pact
European officials differ over whether they have just handed China a big, unnecessary, political win
BUOYED BY A growing economy, cheered by a domestic public united by the fight against covid-19, and eager to start shipping vaccines to friends around the world, China’s rulers feel history turning their way. A recurring phrase in their speeches hails “changes unseen in a hundred years”. Bluntly, Communist Party chiefs feel China is rising and democratic countries—battered by recession and racked by partisan disputes—are falling behind.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Winners and losers”
From the January 9th 2021 edition
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