According to reports, 10 countries voted in support of tariffs while five voted against and 12 chose to abstain. To derail the proposal, opponents needed a qualified majority of 15 votes, representing 65 per cent of the bloc’s population.
Germany voted against the proposal while France voted in favour. Berlin and Paris have long been China’s principal interlocutors in Europe, but gauging Beijing’s apparent waning allure across the continent requires looking to a smaller EU member: Greece.
Greece was one of the 12 countries abstaining from the vote on tariffs. This could be seen as Athens offering de facto support for the tariffs while also trying to defuse anger and possible economic retaliation from China.
Greece has benefited from Chinese infrastructure investment under the Belt and Road Initiative. Notably, China’s Cosco Shipping Group has a 67 per cent stake in the Piraeus Port Authority and has run the operations of the Mediterranean facility – Europe’s fourth-largest container port – since 2016.A Cosco Shipping vessel approaches the Port of Piraeus in Athens, Greece, in February 2019. Photo: Xinhua
Source link : https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3281535/how-ev-tariffs-broke-eu-consensus-and-chinas-divide-and-rule-plan
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Publish date : 2024-10-12 21:30:00
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