At a gathering of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, European legislators raised concerns over Beijing’s deepening influence across the continent. From Scotland’s energy sector to Balkan infrastructure projects, many countries are finding themselves dependent on Chinese investments—sometimes at the expense of their own national interests. Experts fear that beyond the economic costs, democratic processes could also be undermined. Lawmakers called for stronger EU unity, diversified energy and resource supplies.
For several years, relations between
Europe and China have cooled. Yet, some
countries have deepened ties with
Beijing, facing growing risks of
dependence, especially through China's
Belt and Road Initiative.
>> Lawmakers from across the block gathered
in Brussels to discuss the challenges
arising from partnerships with the
Chinese Communist Party. And
international correspondent David Ves
reports. While the EU as a whole is
moving toward gradual derisking from
Beijing, several countries such as Spain
and Hungary have recently reinforced
ties with China through belt and road
projects, underlining the block's
difficulty in uniting. With the Euro
zone experiencing slow economic growth
and facing serious issues regarding
energy sources and rare earth minerals
supply, some member states are looking
for alternative solutions. At the
Interpolaramentary Alliance on China
last week in Brussels, legislators from
across Europe highlighted some countries
dependence on China. Patterns of Chinese
Communist Party influence, often at the
expense of national interests, emerged
as member of IPAC discussed the
challenges their countries face in
relations with Beijing. Scottish
politician Steuart Macdonald said there
is a lack of awareness in Scotland about
the long-term risks of deals made with
China. We have an issue in the energy
sector particularly the renewable energy
sector very heavy over reliance uh on
China there we have an over reliance on
China in our higher education sector uh
particularly our universities which have
become so dependent on uh the funds that
come from the numbers the large volumes
of students from uh from China
>> he said one example is how China
stateowned Petrochina has a stake in
Scotland's critical energy sector while
Petrochina decided to close its oil
refinery in the country. Experts know
that Scotland no longer controls how its
energy is produced or regulated. Due to
several factors, Scotland now has some
of the highest energy costs in Europe.
>> We've just closed our last remaining oil
refinery. Uh 50% owned by Petrochina. Uh
Scotland is unique in that it is an oil
producing country with no oil refinery.
This is madness. Uh and the result of
that has been quite an enormous hit to
our economy nationally, very big hit to
that economy locally with the loss of
hundreds of jobs. Uh but we had in in
Grangemouth, which is the name of the
oil refinery uh that closed down, a huge
stake from from ProChina. That should
never have been allowed to happen.
>> Smaller countries also voiced concerns
that the Chinese Communist Party takes
advantage of large loans accepted by
their governments. Members of parliament
from Balkan countries such as Bosnia
Governa and North Macedonia said they
are facing similar challenges with
Chinese investments.
>> They have been financing uh the the
building of a new coal factory in in
Tusla region in the north of Baserina 63
million. Uh also providing laws for
different uh infrastructural projects,
strategic energy uh uh road
transportation infrastructure. So um we
see their growing influence and are not
really aware of uh what it will cost us
in the future. Gratz says beyond
economic issues there might be threats
to democracy as well as the Chinese
Communist Party does not respect
democratic processes and could impose
political narratives and agendas to the
country's legislature. I I think that
what they are trying to show is that uh
a non-democratic model would also work
under the circumstances that the western
balkans are currently in in between you
know getting more integrated into the
western world as we call it and uh and
the western standards. So I think
they're trying to show well this might
work for you but I I don't think it
really it it it would ever work. The
proposed solution is to diversify supply
sources, reduce global dependence on
China, and strengthen unity among EU
countries using legislative tools. David
Vves, Entity News, Brussels.
