Stung by China’s close ties with President Vladimir Putin and its repression at home, European nations are putting new limits on Chinese exports and investments in a tack that’s more in line with a strategy championed by Washington.
Countries such as Germany and Italy are following the Netherlands’ example and studying export and investment controls adopted by the US, according to public statements and numerous people familiar with leaders’ thinking.
That change has been accompanied by far more critical public comments from senior officials who previously had been wary of speaking out against Beijing. The US and the EU have been working to develop tools to slow China’s progress in fields including semiconductors and defense. The allies are discussing export controls, tighter screening of investments and increased cooperation on critical materials.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is also leaning toward pulling out of an agreement to join China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, which has funded $900 billion in infrastructure projects globally. Italy is the only Group of 7 country that signed up to the plan. China and economic security will be main topics when G-7 leaders meet in Japan next month, according to an official familiar with the discussions.
There are notable caveats to the approach. Those were exemplified by French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent trip to Beijing, where he said Europe should avoid being dragged into a conflict between China and the US over Taiwan.
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