The latest poll: Most Europeans do not agree with the "risk-free" rhetoric towards China. Partners | China | Europeans
On June 9th, China Daily reported that the latest European poll released on June 7th showed that most Europeans believe that China is a necessary partner and do not agree with politicians' so-called "risk-free" remarks about China.
Bloomberg reported on June 8th that a public opinion poll conducted by the European Commission on Foreign Relations on 11 EU member states showed that the majority of respondents viewed China as an "ally or necessary partner".
The Commission noted that although von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, suggested that European countries ease tensions by "eliminating risks" rather than "decoupling" from China, the report showed that the European public did not think it was necessary to stay away from Beijing.
On the contrary, the survey results indicate that EU member states are more in favor of French President Macron's vision of China as a "strategic and global partner".
Earlier this year, Macron urged Europe to develop more strategic autonomy to avoid becoming a vassal of the United States.
The target countries for this public opinion survey include Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, with a total of 16168 adults participating in the survey.
In addition, the New York Times reported that Yana Puglilin, the co-author of the survey report, said that the opinion of European Commission President von der Leyen was closer to that of the Biden administration of the United States, but the real public opinion of the European public was more in line with the opinion of French President Makron.
Macron said that Europe should not be a follower, and falling into a crisis that does not belong to us will lead to falling into a trap set for Europe.
Macron emphasized that Europeans should continue to develop their strategic autonomy and become the "third pole" of the world order, rather than risking becoming a "vassal" of the tense US China relationship. Like German Chancellor Scholz, Macron downplayed competition and referred to China as a "strategic and global partner".
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, said on June 5 during a phone call with French President Bonaparte, "President Macron's recent important statements on international multilateral platforms reflect France's independent and autonomous diplomatic tradition, and European countries are also more actively engaging in dialogue and contact with China. China appreciates this.".
Wang Yi pointed out that as the two major forces in the multipolar process, China and Europe share much greater common interests than differences. Both sides should think more about cooperation and less about relying on opponents, and work together to provide more stability for the world.
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