Interview: Europe must not become vassal of U.S.: political expert

ZAGREB, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Europe must stick to its own foreign policy, and never become a vassal of the United States, Croatian political analyst Andelko Milardovic told Xinhua in an interview on Monday.

Although Europe and the United States share similar values and are long-time allies, they have different identities, policies and interests, Milardovic said.

"You must differentiate values from interests," said Milardovic, who is the founder and director of the Zagreb-based Center for Political Research, and a guest professor of political science at several Croatian universities.

A speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on April 18 signaled that the European Union (EU) is attempting to forge closer ties with China, Milardovic said.

During her speech, the president said that China's international and economic status, as well as Europe's own interests, make good relations between the bloc and China all the more important. "Decoupling is clearly not viable, desirable or even practical for Europe," she said.

U.S. officials have called for decoupling from China, and have pressed the EU to do the same, but China is a vital trading partner for the EU. Bilateral trade between the EU and China is worth some 2.3 billion euros (2.54 billion U.S. dollars)a day.

China was the largest source of EU imports and the third-largest buyer of EU goods in 2022, with total imports and exports reaching 856.3 billion euros, according to Eurostat. Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, has made China all the more crucial to the EU as a trading partner.

The EU is also keenly aware that China can exert an influence on Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Milardovic said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has also called for "strategic autonomy" after a visit to Beijing earlier this month.

"The United States expects Europe to take unified action on everything, but Europe has its own interests. Why would Europe become a vassal to the United States?" Milardovic said. (1 euro = 1.1 U.S. dollar)