VIENNA, AUSTRIA — Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s next foreign policy chief, is already sending signals that she will take a tough stance on Russia and China and be an advocate for a strong alliance between Europe and America.
Kallas spoke to the European Parliament for the first time in her new role at a hearing on November 12, where she stressed that the EU will be steadfast in its commitment to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.
She begins her five-year term as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on December 1.
The former Estonian prime minister warned that Russia, Iran, North Korea and — more covertly — China want to change the rules-based world order. She called on the EU to respond to this threat alongside its closest allies and partners “without losing an inch of who we are.”
Elze Pinelyte, an expert at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) with a focus on Sino-EU relations, told VOA Mandarin that Kallas’ policies “remain firmly supporting Ukraine’s victory.”
In response to worries that the incoming Trump administration may reduce U.S. support for Ukraine, Kallas stressed that the United States’ strategic interests in China are inseparable from the outcome of the war on Ukraine.
“If the U.S. is worried about China and other actors, they should also be worried about how we respond to Russia against Ukraine,” Kallas said during the November 12 hearing.
Ivan U. Kłyszcz, a researcher at the Estonian International Defense and Security Center, told VOA Mandarin, that Kallas “reflects the view that Europe needs to do more for its own defense and security, and this is not inconsistent with NATO and the European and American alliance.”
As for whether the second Trump administration will change Brussels’ considerations, he said, “there are still too many unknowns.”
Tougher policy toward China
Kallas’ tough stance toward China was first seen during her tenure as prime minister of Estonia, when her government advocated that Estonia’s China policy should be promoted within the framework of EU-China relations.
In 2022, Estonia announced its withdrawal from the Beijing-led “Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries,” the so-called “16+1” mechanism.
After the European Parliament elections this year, Kallas was nominated as the candidate for new foreign policy chief. She then resigned as prime minister of Estonia.
Some experts say Kallas will take a tougher policy toward China than her predecessor Josep Borrell.
Pinelyte agreed and added that Kallas likely will “seek support to limit China’s ability to fight Russia’s war.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has condemned Beijing’s support for Moscow. Kallas said that without China’s support, “Russia cannot maintain the war with the same intensity.”
China should face “a higher cost” for supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine, Kallas said, hinting at more deterrent sanctions.
In October, Kallas wrote to the European Parliament that during her tenure as EU high representative on foreign policy, she would be committed to countering Russia’s “imperialist dream” and China’s “unfair competition.”
A trade dispute between the EU and China over products such as electric vehicles has lasted for more than a year, and negotiations are still ongoing. The EU said China’s large subsidies for electric vehicles constitute unfair competition.
Unpredictable alliance
It is not clear whether the Trump administration will continue to provide security guarantees and support to Ukraine, and whether it will impose higher tariffs on the European Union.
Given the United States’ greater focus on the Indo-Pacific region and its strategic competition with China, many European leaders are calling on the EU to reduce its security dependence on the United States.
Pinelyte at EESC said “Kallas seems to have taken office at a time when the idea of an alliance with the United States is outdated.”
Abigael Vasselier, director of policy and European affairs at the German Mercator Institute for China Studies, told VOA that the EU needs to avoid the state of panic it fell into with the first Trump administration.
Instead, she said, it must seek to coordinate with the second Trump administration, including “making recommendations” on China issues.
“The EU needs to be prepared because the Trump and Biden administrations will have completely different approaches to China,” she said.
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