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Ursula von der Leyen, the pick for EU Commission head, could take a tough line on China, going by this interview with Die Zeit from January (my translation, thread) zeit.de/2019/04/ursula… @dktatlow
2. She says "We don't talk about China enough ... because until now the Chinese have been pursuing their open power politics chiefly in Asia."
zeit.de/2019/04/ursula…
zeit.de/2019/04/ursula…
3. China “does not behave in as martial a way towards us as Vladimir Putin's Russia. China ensnares us with kindness. And that's why we often overlook how consistently and cleverly it pursues its goals.” zeit.de/2019/04/ursula…
4. She believes the Social Credit System is doomed: "In the long run, the Chinese will not allow their government to keep a database account of the professional and social behaviour of every citizen." zeit.de/2019/04/ursula…
5. Von der Leyen says pressure from Beijing on dissidents and critics of the system, as well as some ethnic and religious groups, and the quest for "total digital control" would not be necessary if the "Chinese leadership were consident of their cause"
6. "I believe that beneath the surface, the desire for freedom and self-determination continues to glow." zeit.de/2019/04/ursula…
*confident
