The article also discusses Greek and Finnish rapprochement with Apartheid Israel. This really is a story about European disunity, but the BBC editors chose a headline that makes it about China.

For the EU to have a common foreign policy, it has to take into account all states’ needs. Greece a d Cyprus cannot be asked to sacrifice their national security any less than Finland or Poland. And the Germans, French and Dutch don’t get to finger wag and lecture and fuck over the PIIGS when it suits them and then bitch about bespoke economic solutions afterwards.

So pick: do Northerners feel like they have a patriotic stake in the Aegean or Nicosia? Do Southerners feel like they have a stake in German auto factories? Do Westerners feel like they have a stake in keeping chinese drones away from Polish towns? Do Easterners feel like they have a stake in social safety nets in Portuguese villages? Do all of them care about rule of law, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the treaties and conventions that we have all signed on as Europeans? If so, European solutions become possible. If not, let’s just go back to the EEC and stop pretending this Europe thing ever actually meant anything.

Didn’t Spain a really hard financial time in the 2010s and the rest of the UE laugh at them ?

Gee, I guess that’s what happens when the other traditional superpower destroys the relationship. This is only the beginning of the global shift away from the USA.

That’s just sound policy; the US-China rivalry never had much of anything to do with Europe.

There isn’t just Chery in Barcelona. Chinese battery and stationary-energy-storage company Hithium plans to invest in Navarra in the north of Spain and battery manufacturer CATL is involved in building a lithium iron phosphate battery gigafactory in Zaragoza, 200 miles west of Barcelona. Critics fear these projects are part of Chinese companies’ efforts to localise production in the EU to evade tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles. Critics fear these projects are part of Chinese companies’ efforts to localise production in the EU to evade tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles.

Isn’t that, like, the point insofar as there is a point other than rank oligarchy?

This is strange, previously the far right countries like Hungary ally with China, whereas Spain has been a bit left leaning

trading tyrants. never a wise decision.

how about Europe become independent?

no…can’t have that. if they would rely on themselves for all their manufacturing needs they wouldn’t be able to stand in their ivory tower and look down on everyone destroying their environment for profit!