The messaging from various European governments to China on how it handles the crisis with Russia has sharpened up in the last few days, increasingly making it clear that it will have an impact on the relationship. Clearest was @ABaerbock yesterday:
https://twitter.com/noahbarkin/status/14947233075638476821/8
Today one of the toughest characterizations of China from a European Commission president, based on the joint Sino-Russian statement:
https://twitter.com/StuartKLau/status/14949635038950440962/8
And the NATO Secretary General, also responding to the NATO-specific sections of that Sino-Russian joint statement:
https://twitter.com/StuartKLau/status/14949718367649914953/8
A couple of days ago, the UK: "the world is watching [China] to see whether their actions contribute to peace and stability, or to fueling aggression" -
https://twitter.com/fbermingham/status/14943596330661847064/8
None of this prejudges the outcome; it's important precisely because the extent of Chinese support is still not fully determined, as this article lays out: wsj.com/articles/beiji… 5/8
But it signals that if Beijing continues to cross thresholds that it didn't in 2014, the net effect will not be that Europe simply refocuses on Russia, it will - at least for many prominent European figures - be to treat China as part of that threat continuum 6/8
Scholz did notably duck the chance today to give at least a "we are watching" message despite @noahbarkin teeing him up; though there was a bit of a save later with his extended listing of the "great nations of Asia" that would resist Chinese domination...
https://twitter.com/StuartKLau/status/1494981234535149568
Also, FWIW, much of this is what @BonnieGlaser and I advocated last week. Our argument will look differently-nuanced depending on precisely what Russia and China actually do but this was the window to signal some of the ramifications to Beijing: foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/14/chi… 8/8
Putting China under some pressure to say this - at a minimum - will, I suspect, be an ongoing effort. Xi did not state this to Macron... elysee.fr/emmanuel-macro… The whole Wang Yi answer here - - is worth watching: (at c. 1:09:13)
https://twitter.com/noahbarkin/status/1494999291802312708
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