EU chief urges caution in tech trade with China
BRUSSELS –
The European Union should be ready to develop measures to guard commerce and funding that China would possibly exploit for its personal safety and army functions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Thursday.
Speaking earlier than a visit to China deliberate for subsequent week, von der Leyen mentioned that it is essential to cease “sensitive technologies” that may very well be utilized in safety crackdowns or to limit human rights from falling into Beijing’s fingers.
“China’s changing policies may require us to develop new defensive tools for some critical sectors,” she mentioned. “Where dual-use purposes cannot be excluded or human rights might be implicated, there will need to be a clear line on whether investments or exports are in our own security interests.”
The fee, the EU’s government department, manages worldwide commerce on behalf of the 27 member international locations and defends their pursuits on the World Trade Organization.
Von der Leyen mentioned that the EU ought to focus its defences on “sensitive high-tech areas” like microelectronics, quantum computing, robotics, synthetic intelligence and the biotech sector.
“We need to ensure that our companies’ capital, expertise, and knowledge are not used to enhance the military and intelligence capabilities of those who are also systemic rivals,” she instructed lecturers at an occasion run by the European Policy Centre suppose tank and the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
“We have to look at where there are gaps in our toolbox which allow the leakage of emerging and sensitive technologies through investments in other countries,” von der Leyen mentioned. The focus, she mentioned, must be on tech that “can lead to the development of military capabilities that pose risks to national security.”
The fee president’s speech comes because the EU reconsiders its ceaselessly testy relations with China, notably in mild of Beijing’s assist for Russia’s conflict on Ukraine. Von der Leyen mentioned, although, that it is essential to not reduce political, financial or scientific ties with such a “vital trading partner.”
French President Emmanuel Macron can also be attributable to journey to China subsequent week and can participate in some occasions involving von der Leyen. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was set to go to Beijing on Thursday and Friday on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
