EU Official Looks to Unified China Policy After Macron Comments

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation President Robert Atkinson said during a Wednesday livestream that Macron’s comments and the notion of EU “strategic autonomy” caused heartburn in tech circles. After visiting China in April, Macron cautioned Europeans against following the U.S. example on foreign policy with China. He asked if it’s in the EU’s “interest” to “accelerate” the situation with Taiwan. “No,” he said. “The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction.”

If different countries send different signals, the EU might need to issue a renewed policy on China, said Maydell: “One could say Europe has a China policy,” but Macron outlined “something that’s very different from the current China policy.” She noted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “has in a way hinted slightly” at issuing a renewed policy.

The U.S. and EU have a “very complex relationship” with China, said State Department Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Senior Adviser Tyson Barker. Through the first three meetings of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, the two sides offered a lot of “convergence” in their focus on China, he said. A joint statement issued during the TTC’s third meeting for the first time mentioned the People's Republic of China, he said. The TTC will meet for a fourth time in Lulea, Sweden, May 30-31. Chief negotiators are Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Center for European Policy Analysis CEO Alina Polyakova described a wedge driven between the U.S. and EU on how to approach China and technology markets. She asked Barker if there’s a move toward more alignment between the two sides and the EU seeing China as a “strategic competitor and a pacing threat to the U.S.” Barker noted the joint statements between the two sides and the continued focus on China. He said there’s a big difference in value between the U.S. and China, one example being China’s notions of credibility for cloud computing companies. The FTC will host a May 11 panel on cloud computing issues in the agency’s request for information (see 2303220035).

Atkinson said Macron’s comments sparked concerns about whether EU policymakers intend to allow the U.S. to be part of the digital economy in the EU. It’s not a “zero-sum game,” said Maydell. The two sides have different strengths, and each side can benefit from the other’s, she said. As the U.S. looks to implement its vision for artificial intelligence across federal agencies (see 2304250054), U.S. policymakers could take notes from the EU’s enforcement record, she said: And the EU can look toward the U.S. for its “more bold and strategic thinking backed by substantial resources,” which is something lacking in the EU. EU autonomy should be increased at the same time partnerships are strengthened with like-minded partners like the U.S., she said: But the EU should be able to focus on broader international cooperation and better align democratic partners like Japan to create a “common, shared” vision.