euro|topics: Sanctions against China: brave, brash, or useless?

(23/03/2021)

发件⼈：eurotopics-e<eurotopics-e@mailman2.bpb.de>

收件⼈：eurotopics-e<eurotopics-e@mailman2.bpb.de>

时 间 ：2021-03-23 19:09

European press roundup

PRESS REVIEW OF 23 MARCH 2021 WITH THE FOLLOWING DEBATES:

Sanctions against China: brave, brash, or useless? +++ Turkey withdraws from Istan-
bul Convention - what now? +++ Brussels bombings five years on +++ Metoo scandal
in Estonia +++ Russia: when crook and governor are synonymous

EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell speaks at a press conference about the
sanctions against China. (© picture-alliance/Aris Oikonomou)
 Sanctions against China: brave,
brash, or useless?
In reaction to the oppression of the Uyghur minority, the EU has imposed sanc-
tions on China for the first time in three decades. The foreign ministers of the 27
member states approved punitive measures against four party representatives in
the Xinjiang region and an organisation that, according to the EU, manages the
detention camps for the "re-education" of the Muslim minority. Beijing respon-
ded with retaliatory measures.

DE VOLKSKRANT (NL)

Beijing can hardly remain a partner

The EU must rethink its relationship with China, De Volkskrant
comments:

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - that is the language that
Beijing speaks fluently. This latest step of sanctioning European
politicians, civil servants and academics is an exercise in 'lawfare'.
... Brussels has now understood that. ... In actual fact Brussels ur-
gently needs political backing to defend the controversial invest-
ment agreement against its critics in the European Parliament
right now. But with so many Europeans on the blacklist, Brussels
has no choice but to rethink China's dual role. It is becoming in-
creasingly difficult to see Beijing in a role other than that of a
rival.”

Marije Vlaskamp Share on

Original article

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG (CH)

Walking a tightrope
At least the EU is taking action, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes:
 “This measure is also a step on the path to a pan-European China
policy. It is, however, undeniable that the goal is still unclear and
a long way off. The EU, which at heart is always the 27 member
states, is having a hard time finding a coherent strategy for China.
In December, after lengthy negotiations, it signed an investment
agreement with Beijing. ... Other Europeans, including France and
Germany, insist on having an their own China policy. ... The bot-
tom line is that the Europeans keep trying to walk a tightrope bet-
ween investments and sanctions.”

Andreas Ernst Share on

Original article

CORRIERE DELLA SERA (IT)

The encirclement has begun

A start has been made, Corriere della Sera comments with approval:

“At the moment the step is mainly symbolic, because it only af-
fects four provincial functionaries in Xinjiang. ... What is signifi-
cant, however, is the embargo against 'Xinjiang Production and
Construction Corps', an organisation linked to the Chinese army
that controls a fifth of the region's cotton production and employs
a tenth of the labour force there. Britain, Canada and the US have
joined Brussels in the move. .... For the Biden administration, this
is a first strategic success in its campaign to encircle Beijing: the
president is basing his strategy on reviving the Western alliance
which Donald Trump neglected for four years.”

Guido Santevecchi Share on

Original article

MAGYAR HÍRLAP (HU)

Europe may soon need China
The EU should have completely different priorities right now, Magyar Hír-
lap admonishes:

“For months, the European Union's failure to procure vaccines has

dominated the headlines in the global press. ... It is particularly
jarring that now of all times, when the calls for vaccines from the
East are growing louder also due to Brussels' mistakes, the EU is
starting to impose sanctions against China. As Hungarian Foreign
Minister Péter Szijjártó also said: this attitude is pointless, exhibi-
tionist and harmful.”

Mariann Őry Share on

Original article

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG (DE)

This strategy already failed in the past

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung doesn't believe that the EU's sanc-
tions will have the desired effect:

“China is no longer the developing country against which sanc-

tions were imposed after the Tiananmen massacre. It's a rising
global power with which Germany in particular does a lot of tra-
de. The Chinese leadership is self-confident. Unlike in the past, it
has the will and the means to counter Western pressure. As an alli-
ance of democracies, the EU cannot remain indifferent to questi-
ons of human rights. But there are other ways to bring this point
home. And in any event the EU's decisions are unlikely to have a
major impact. The sanctions of 1989, which even included an
arms embargo, neither led to the political opening of China nor
prevented the country's massive armament.”

Nikolas Busse Share on

to the homepage
 Sanctions against China: brave, brash, or useless? Share on

Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Con-

vention - what now?
Politicians and human rights organisations inside and outside Turkey are voi-
cing fierce criticism after Turkey pulled out of the Council of Europe Conventi-
on on preventing and combating violence against women. The EU's foreign af-
fairs representative Josep Borrell has called on Ankara to reverse the decision.
Withdrawing from the 2011 convention sends a dangerous message to the
world, he warned.

HABERTÜRK (TR)

A dangerous first step

Pro-government columnist Nagehan Alçı fears that withdrawing from the
Convention will be just the first in a wave of measures that discriminate
against women, prompting her to take an unusually critical stance in
Habertürk:

“In a second step, the same lobby will put everything in motion to
change the regulations on child support. After that, it will demand
that the law that foresees the eviction of violent men from their
homes be repealed. And then in a fourth step it will do all it can to
prevent the judiciary from interfering in cases of domestic vio-
lence. ... The signature that repealed the Istanbul Convention
opens the door for all of this. Now I would like to ask once again.
... Honorable President, did you write your signature with a clear
conscience?”

Nagehan Alçı Share on

 Original article

ADEVĂRUL (RO)

Neo-traditionalism fighting rearguard battle

In a commentary for Adevărul, Islam researcher Alina Isak Alak sees the
withdrawal as a sign of the weakness of Erdoğan's regime:

“From a gender perspective, the AKP, as a conservative and natio-

nalist party, has constantly promoted a neo-traditionalist ideology
in the style of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is based on the pre-
servation of traditional gender roles with minor, culturally oppor-
tunistic adjustments. ... But women in Turkey continue their pro-
test - and their unequal struggle against a patriarchal, authoritarian
regime that, by its decision, has exposed that it has lost its influ-
ence and power over much of the population.”

Alina Alak Isac Share on

Original article

POLITYKA (PL)

The reactionaries are mobilising

There are always counter-movements when progress is being fought for,
Polityka comment:

“A global 'anti-gender block' is forming before our eyes. Its first

manifestations are international coalitions which attack progressi-
ve wording in UN documents and work to undermine abortion,
sexual self-determination and even protection from domestic vio-
lence. ... Just as we once put behind us the exploitation paradigm
of class society, we are now saying goodbye to the idea that one of
the sexes has the privilege of exploiting the other from birth. As in
the 19th century, this development is meeting with fierce political
opposition and leading to reactionary, anti-progressive, misogynist
 coalitions.”

Agata Czarnacka Share on

Original article

Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention - what Share on

now?

Brussels bombings five years on

Several events were held in Brussels on Monday to commemorate the victims of
the terrorist attacks of 22 March 2016. The suicide bombings at Brussels airport
and the Maelbeek metro station, which IS admitted to carrying out, killed 32
people and injured 340. The trials of the suspects who survived are scheduled to
begin in September.

LA LIBRE BELGIQUE (BE)

Dignity instead of pity

The judicial system must not lose sight of the victims, La Libre Belgique
urges:

“No one is seeking revenge. But everyone expects justice to be

done and the truth to be uncovered. ... The main culprits are presu-
med to be dead and will not be present. But they will be judged.
Victims do not need pity, but dignity. ... They want to believe in
humanity and look to the future. It would be a tribute to them if
the recommendations of the parliamentary committee of inquiry
into the attacks were followed in full, as they are based in part on
the victims' sense of having been left in the lurch - by the complex
administration, the insurance companies, and, more generally, by
the Belgian state, which was unprepared to face such a disaster.”
 Christophe Lamfalussy Share on

Original article

LE HUFFPOST (FR)

Covid rules play into extremists' hands

Terror prevention measures in their current exclusively digital form are
losing sight of too many young people, political scientist Sébastien Bous-
sois worries in Huffpost:

“How long can we go on with online raising of awareness? The

question arises in view of the fact that radicalisation always ex-
ploits the niches between people: between our young people and
institutions, between young people and their families, between
young people, with all their hopes, and reality. Meanwhile, the IS
and extremist groups of all kinds continue to gain ground. ... The
social distancing as a result of the Covid epidemic could have
much worse consequences for us in the coming years than the dis-
tancing for health purposes which has been painstakingly imple-
mented for a year.”

Sébastien Boussois Share on

Original article

Brussels bombings five years on Share on

Metoo scandal in Estonia

A women's football player has sparked a major Metoo debate after making pu-
blic that she was lured into a sexual relationship that started when she was 14
and went on for several years by her then 52-year-old coach Getúlio Aurelio
Fredo. Observers are sceptical as to whether raising the age of consent from 14
to 16, as is now under discussion, can solve the problem.

LÄÄNE ELU (EE)

Everyone looked away

Social Democratic MEP Hannes Rumm says in Lääne Elu that he doubts
that raising the age of consent would do much good:

“Would the football coach have refrained from exploiting his posi-
tion of power if in the penal code the number 16 instead of 14 ap-
peared? ... We cannot know that. But we did learn from the abused
girl that her 'relationship' with the coach, who was in his fifties,
was known to many people - both at the football club and among
the other players, and apparently also among many parents. Even
if such a 'relationship' was in accordance with the framework of
the law, how is it possible that none of those in the know raised
the issue with the club management? ... It's easy to blame the fla-
wed laws. It's much harder to protect the vulnerable when it is ac-
tually possible.”

Hannes Rumm Share on

Original article

ÕHTULEHT (EE)

Raising the age of consent would help

Õhtuleht believes that raising the age of consent could at least be a first
step towards protecting potential victims of abuse:

“Does an age of consent of 14 reflect society's understanding of

what a relationship looks like in which both parties are equally
and adequately protected by the law? Probably not, as one can
conclude from the reactions to this case. ... It is in the power of
 politicians to create an additional obstacle. ... Certainly, even rai-
sing the age of consent to 16 will not guarantee that relationships
that will later be remembered with horror and regret can no longer
develop, or that those who take the risk of approaching minors de-
spite fear of punishment will disappear. ... But at least some young
people would be spared some suffering.”

Original article Share on

Metoo scandal in Estonia Share on

Russia: when crook and governor

are synonymous
Yet another Russian regional governor has been arrested on charges of corrupti-
on. According to the investigators, Ivan Belozertsev, governor of Penza Oblast
in the west of the country, is suspected of taking millions in bribes from the
pharmaceutical industry. Belozertsev, who represents the Kremlin party United
Russia, had just been re-elected in 2020.

ECHO MOSKWY (RU)

Here even octopuses can win elections

Commentator Anton Orech of Echo of Moscow is amazed at the news that
"between 300 and 500 million roubles" (3.4 to 5.6 million euros) in cash
were found in Belosertsev's home after the arrest:

“I wish you all, when asked about your savings, could answer va-
guely that there's around 200 million in cash lying around somew-
here at home. And enough wristwatches for an octopus - like Be-
lozertsev. It's an especially nice detail that this governor, gold-pla-
 ted from head to toe, was elected by the people just last autumn
with 78 percent of the vote. ... Did they not recognise him for the
crook he is? Or is this proof that the man on the street can't be
trusted with elections because he votes for anyone who comes
along? Or perhaps in Penza the votes were counted like everywhe-
re else? Rounded up and boosted and that's the result?”

Anton Orech Share on

Original article

NEWSRU.COM (RU)

Leadership and society completely alienated

In a Facebook post republished by newsru.com, liberal opposition politici-
an Lev Schlosberg explains why, unlike in Khabarovsk in 2020, there has
been no public opposition to the arrest of the regional leader in Penza:

“Where are the hundreds of thousands of voters who voted for Be-
lozertsev? There are none. Because his election was not a con-
scious and voluntary expression of the will of people who take re-
sponsibility for their political decision. ... The people have no par-
ticipation. They cast votes but they don't elect. That is the price of
the liquidation of political freedoms under Putin. ... The lea-
dership and society are completely alienated. ... The people have
been deprived of their power, that is, of the right to freely choose
their political leaders and representatives. Why would you mourn
the loss of something that never belonged to you anyway? ”

Lew Schlosberg Share on

Original article

Russia: when crook and governor are synonymous Share on

The euro|topics daily press review keeps you up to date on the topics that are moving
Europe.
We cite important voices from 32 countries, selected by our correspondents from more
than 500 media. euro|topics aims to contribute to the formation of a European public
sphere and promote trans-European discussion.

You can find all the debates on our website. Our media database provides background
information on around 500 European print and online media.

euro|topics is available in German, English, French, Turkish and Russian.

It is published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) and produced by the
journalist network n-ost. It does not represent the opinions of the bpb. The bpb does
not necessarily agree with the views published on linked websites.

Facebook | Twitter | RSS-Feed

Contact | Legal Notice | Cancel newsletter

A project of the