Rosenberg, Senior Director for China and Asia at the White House National Security Council
Immediately after the European Union imposed its first human rights sanctions on China since 1989, Beijing launched countermeasures against the European Parliament, member state parliamentarians, academics and EU institutions, raising concerns about European-Chinese relations and the future of the EU-China Investment Agreement.
One of the MEPs subject to Chinese sanctions, Miriam Lexmann, stressed at a seminar held by the Brookings Institute, a Washington think tank, on August 8 that the sanctions would do nothing for China, but would instead focus Europe more on a series of Chinese moves.
She said that Europe’s attitude toward China began to change after the outbreak of the new coronavirus. In addition to being wary of the security threat posed by China, Europe is also aware that its economic dependence on China comes at the cost of human rights, which is why the reports on Hong Kong and Xinjiang mention that human rights will be included in the European and Chinese investment audit criteria.
Lexman called on EU member states to strengthen cooperation with their transatlantic partners and to reassess and change their strategy toward China.
Laura Rosenberger, senior director for China and Asia at the White House National Security Council, also reiterated at the same panel Thursday that working with allies is the foundation of the Biden administration’s policy toward China. She cited the Secretary of State’s recent announcement to restart a renewed U.S.-European dialogue on China, which will be an important mechanism for the United States and Europe to discuss how to uphold international rules and address China’s challenges.
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