US-EU to launch formal dialogue to counter China, pledge stronger cooperation

On March 24, the United States and the European Union (EU) vowed deeper cooperation on combatting challenges posed by China with an agreement to kickstart a formal US-EU dialogue on the matter. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell in Brussels and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. 

Following Blinken-Borrell meet on Wednesday, the European Commission vice president said, “We took two important decisions.  We agreed to launch the European Union-United States Dialogue on China as a forum to discuss the full range of related challenges and opportunities.”

“We decided to continue meetings at the senior official and expert levels on topics such as reciprocity, economic issues, resilience, human rights – human rights, security, multilateralism, and areas for constructive engagement with China such as climate change,” added Borrell. Meanwhile, Blinken who was in Belgium this week noted that the US-EU dialogue was essential to combat the “challenges that China presents to the rules-based order that we both subscribe to.”

NATO Chief Asks US And EU To Quickly Repair Alliance

The US and EU reiterating their cooperation against China came after just last week, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has called for the United States and the European Union (EU) to swiftly amend their alliance in order to deal will the bullying of countries all "over the world" by China. While addressing the EU parliament committees on security and foreign affairs, NATO chief on March 15 (local time) said that the intergovernmental military alliance should work with partners in the Asia-Pacific region if it aims at stopping a “more aggressive: and “threatening” Beijing. 

“The rise of China poses some serious challenges. China is an authoritarian country that doesn't share our values. They will soon have the biggest economy in the world. They already have the second-largest defence budget. They're investing heavily in new modern military capabilities. And I strongly believe that NATO should remain a regional alliance, North America and Europe," the NATO chief said as reported by ANI.

Image credits: AP