EU should not bet the future of itself and the world on misconception of US: China Daily editorial

Thursday's US-EU Dialogue on China and Friday's high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific represent further manifestations of Washington's tireless efforts to divide the world.

Although Washington claimed that the purpose of the meeting on Thursday was for the two sides to pursue "results-oriented cooperation" with China in areas where their interests align, the US-EU Dialogue on China, the second after the inaugural one in May, focused on all the fronts Washington has opened in its "competition" with China. These include economic and technology issues, human rights, disinformation and security.

As such, it is clear that the United States' purpose for the meeting was to drive a wedge between the European Union and China, the EU's largest trade partner. Likewise the high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific are intended to produce a common stance targeting China.

Both meetings are part of the value diplomacy the Joe Biden administration has customized with the aim of isolating China and other countries the US dislikes from the rest of the international community.

Aside from breathing new life into its moribund security alliance dating back to the Cold War with a pick-me-up injection of "values", the US is trying to forge a technology alliance to exclude China from the global supply chains, so as to rebuild the global system in a way that the US can better control.

In doing so, the US is dividing the world into two camps, those that have declared themselves to be pro-US and those that haven't; those that are willing to indulge its hegemony and those that aren't.

With most other smaller players adopting a wait-and-see attitude to the future of such a unipolar, US-centered remodeling, the EU's choice will have a direct influence on whether those endeavors gain traction or not.

The world stands at another crossroad in history. In deciding whether to follow the path the US is taking, the EU has to give serious consideration to the question whether it is willing to sacrifice its autonomy to become just another piece on the US gameboard. Particularly, since it is clear that Washington has lost its bearings.

The professed values on both sides of the Atlantic should be the foundation for the two to unite the world together, not divide it.

The EU should not bet the future of itself, and the world, on the misconception that those shared values can be used as a ruler to measure others.

Their economic development — which is partially attributable to their continuous exploitation of the less developed countries and natural resources — and their technological advantages should be the means for the EU and the US to demonstrate leadership, by helping the world resolve the pressing challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

With the US having lost its way, the EU should step forward and help guide it back on track.