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Key points from my article in The Conversation. My research highlights failure to promote EU values by @EU_EEAS & @EU_Commission officials implementing EU-China diplomatic dialogues. This culture of complacency & self-censorship needs urgent attention 1/11 https://theconversation.com/china-eu-relations-self-censorship-by-eu-diplomats-is-commonplace-138181">https://theconversation.com/china-eu-...
Recent incidents where the EU reportedly bowed to pressure from China to censor criticism of China and its role in the COVID-19 pandemic have attracted outrage. However, such dynamics are not merely rare errors of judgement, but commonplace in EU-China diplomacy. 2/11
Through Article 21 of the Lisbon Treaty, @EU_EEAS & @EU_Commission officials have a constitutional obligation to share EU values in practice. They are expected to engage in active & purposeful actions to promote or ‘mainstream’ the EU’s values with third countries like China 3/11
Conflicting with the EU’s own constitutional standards, extensive interviews with @EU_EEAS & @EU_Commission officials implementing EU-China diplomatic dialogues, revealed that the promotion of EU values was overwhelmingly absent from the diverse (60+) annual meetings. 4/11
The most prominent justification by EU officials for avoiding the promotion of EU values in their meetings related to a fear of upsetting Chinese diplomats. Concerns about immediate consequences from counterparts resulted in a narrow focus on their specific policy sector. 5/11
Some @EU_EEAS & @EU_Commission officials also framed the promotion of EU values with China as pointless. Low-ranking and opaque Chinese counterparts were considered unable to influence China’s policies in these areas. 6/11
A large number of @EU_EEAS and @EU_Commission officials also thought promoting EU values was implicit to their dialogues and required no further action. 7/11
Many EU officials viewed promoting values as simply irrelevant to their dialogues & instead the responsibility of specific dialogues, like the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue. This division of labour = countless missed opportunities to assert EU values with China. 8/11
In the few dialogues where EU values were promoted, notably the human rights dialogue, it appeared to be approached ineffectively. @EU_EEAS diplomats lacked reflectiveness about ‘how’ they were engaging with China. Effective EU value promotion also needs to be self-critical. 9/11
In failing to assert its values, the EU’s silence could be mistaken for an acceptance or even legitimisation of China’s policies in areas such as human rights. Meanwhile, China& #39;s extending international influence is actively challenging the universality of EU values. 10/11
The EU needs to carefully consider the (high) costs of its current complacency & self-censorship with China. Urgent reform of EU-China diplomacy is necessary @JosepBorrellF, @vonderleyen and @CharlesMichel. /END
