China eyes strategic gains amid U.S.-Europe tension
Beijing is working to strengthen its ties with Europe by leveraging transatlantic disputes. China seeks to gain strategic influence over Europe, CNBC reports. Experts note that Europe is striving for "independence" from the United States.
CNBC recalls that a public dispute occurred during a recent meeting at the White House between Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Volodymyr Zelensky, deepening tensions between the U.S. and Europe.
China may benefit from cooling U.S.-Europe relations
CNBC emphasizes that China could use this situation to bolster its influence on the European continent. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Europe, advocating for closer cooperation.
Alicja Bachulska, a European Council on Foreign Relations policy expert, noted that China is attempting a charm offensive to present itself as a stabilizing force and an alternative power. She highlighted that Beijing is leveraging Europe's concerns while seeking a reset on its terms, as reported by CNBC.
Ian Bremmer from Eurasia Group notes that China aims to weaken the ties between Europe and the United States.
CNBC adds that China could become an alternative trade partner for Europe, and European companies, especially in the automotive sector, might benefit from cooperation with Beijing.
China responds to Trump's tariffs
"If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end," the Chinese embassy in the United States stated in a post on social media Wednesday. This is in response to the increase in tariffs to 20 percent on imports from China to the U.S.
The official reason for Washington imposing tariffs, which also affected Canada and Mexico to varying degrees, is to combat the smuggling of fentanyl from these countries—an opioid causing hundreds of thousands of American deaths every year.
According to Beijing authorities, the Trump administration is using the fentanyl issue to "smear and shift blame onto China and pressure and blackmail it with tariff hikes." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly argued that "the root of the problem lies within the United States itself," and tariffs will not solve it.
After Trump announced the first tariffs on Chinese imports last month, Beijing responded with 15-percent tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and 10-percent on crude oil and agricultural machinery imports. In response to doubling the tariff, China introduced 10 to 15 percent tariffs on imported farming and food products from the U.S.
