China-EU ties: Hopes, worries and expectations

"There is a joke among our Europeans. If one wants to call Europe, nobody knows what the telephone number is. So generally, you call Angela Merkel, right? Because Germany is the most powerful country in Europe," commented Gabriele Battaglia, a Beijing-based correspondent for Radiotelevisione Svizzera and Radio Popolare, who further indicated that the lack of European identity and unbalanced development inside Europe Union (EU) are the most serious challenges facing this 26-year-old union.

However, the internal division was somehow associated with China's presence as Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Europe.

As Italy became the first country in G7 to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), some Western media began to play up China's threat, claiming that China tries to stir up the division through the BRI.

"My guess is something different: China is not trying to divide Europe,” said Battaglia. He stated that China is only doing its own business and tries to get a benefit out of the whole situation considering different conditions and options.

According to Battaglia, a more united EU is also what China hopes and needs. "China loves predictability and stability. So only one telephone number (is what China prefers)," added Battaglia.

As an Italian who has been living in China for a long time, he also shared his views on the current Sino-Italian ties and his expectations and worries about the cooperation under the BRI.

"Italy had been lagging behind by other countries like Germany, France, the UK in the relationship with China since China's reform and opening-up. And Italy wants to catch up with them. The last two or three government have started to approach China at different levels,” said Battaglia.

Back in June 2014, China issued a three-year action plan with Renzi's administration covering cooperation in areas of trade, industries, and investment, technological innovation, etc. At the same year, China and Italy decide to expand their mutual investment and have signed a deal worth eight billion euros in sectors varying from energy to engineering.

The new populist government also showed their willingness. In August 2018, the Italian government set up a "China Task Force," a team aiming to realize the cooperation under the framework of BRI and the signing was concluded during President Xi's visit.

Talking about the BRI, Battaglia indicated that it is an initiative which the offer matches perfectly with the demand. He pointed out that China could expand its trade with the European countries to mitigate the damage caused by the trade war with the U.S. And the Italian side could enlarge its export to improve its economy.

However, optimism aside, Battaglia expressed his concern, saying that China is "big" and Italy is "small". He is worried that the new government is still too "young” to deal with such a complicated issue, and it is hard for the two countries to find a balance between them.

"I think the cooperation under the BRI is not only about doing business but also people to people's exchange," said Battaglia. He then stated that Europe and Asia have been demanding a unity and connectivity for a long time, and the BRI could be a chance if it works well.

"We are all parts of the landmass, and I hope not only Chinese and Europeans, but also people in between could benefit from it," concluded Battaglia.

(CGTN)