unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Yannick Jadot
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Croatia
Language: FR

Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, sommes-nous dirigés par des poissons rouges? Des poissons rouges qui ont oublié toutes les leçons de la guerre en Ukraine et qui répètent la même complaisance économique et politique. Complaisance économique: Olaf Scholz, qui va à Pékin répéter les mêmes bêtises avec la Chine de Xi Jinping qu’avec la Russie de Poutine, où finalement les intérêts de Volkswagen pèsent plus que la survie du peuple ouïghour. Complaisance politique d’Emmanuel Macron, qui lui aussi va défendre les intérêts privés, mais en plus rajoute une forme de non-alignement totalement effarante. Il a créé la division de l’Europe, il a fragilisé le soutien à Taïwan et à l’Ukraine et il a fragilisé l’alliance des démocraties. Et aujourd’hui il est soutenu par l’extrême droite, amie de Bachar el-Assad et de Poutine, et par tous ceux qui sont tellement antiaméricains qu’ils sont prêts à soutenir toutes les dictatures antiaméricaines.  Ce ne peut pas être ça, et ce ne peut pas être le non-alignement comme concept qui permettra de résoudre toutes les ambiguïtés. La question, ce n’est pas de savoir sur qui on est aligné. La question, c’est de savoir sur quoi on est aligné. On doit être alignés sur nos valeurs, donc: unité de l’Europe sur les droits de l’homme. Et on doit être alignés sur nos intérêts, donc: c’est le «Buy European Act», c’est l’embargo sur tous les produits issus du travail forcé, et c’est enfin un budget européen pour l’industrie à l’échelle de ce que font les États-Unis. Voilà l’enjeu de l’Europe: pas le non-alignement, qui ne veut rien dire, mais être alignés sur nos valeurs et ensemble.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Zdzisław Krasnodębski
Political group: ECR
Country: Greece
Language: PL

Panie Przewodniczący! Ostatnie wizyty przywódców europejskich w Chinach pokazały, że Europa to nie to samo co instytucje unijne i że Europa jest różnorodna. Prezydent Francji, przewodnicząca Komisji Europejskiej i minister spraw zagranicznych Niemiec prezentowali inne wyobrażenia o europejskiej strategii. Dotychczasowa strategia, jeżeli ją mieliśmy, nie była chyba zbyt zadowalająca, bo Europa jest słabsza, a Chiny silniejsze.  Naszą wspólną strategię można jednak wypracować tylko wtedy, gdy te różne poglądy na temat europejskiej polityki zagranicznej ścierają się ze sobą, a państwa członkowskie mają prawo bronić swoich stanowisk (także prezydent Macron), a nie gdy proponuje się wprowadzenie zasady, że decyduje większość. Tylko wtedy unikniemy powtórki błędów strategii
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Jean-Lin Lacapelle
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: FR

Monsieur le Président, «lorsque la Chine s’éveillera, le monde entier tremblera», a pu dire Napoléon. La Chine s’est éveillée. Le monde tremble.  Emmanuel Macron puis Ursula von der Leyen sont tous les deux allés tenter d’amadouer le président chinois et n’ont essuyé que des humiliations. Inutile de s’attarder sur Macron, dont la parole n’a aucune valeur et qui dit seulement ce que son auditoire du jour veut entendre. Mais l’Union européenne tout entière n’a aucune cohérence vis-à-vis de la Chine.  Je ne prendrai qu’un seul exemple, mais des plus emblématiques, celui de la voiture électrique. La fin de la vente de véhicules thermiques en 2035 donne en pratique les clefs de notre destin énergétique et industriel à la Chine, puisqu’elle a le quasi-monopole de l’extraction des métaux nécessaires aux batteries électriques et a, de plus, une avance considérable en matière de voitures électriques compétitives. Voilà ce qu’est la stratégie européenne: suicider notre industrie automobile en faveur de la Chine. Et c’est un exemple entre mille.  La politique mondialiste de délocalisation que vous avez suivie depuis cinquante ans vous a conduits à confier notre destin à la Chine. Sans une rupture avec cette politique, vous en resterez prisonniers.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Ivan Vilibor Sinčić
Political group: NI
Country: Czechia
Language: HR

Poštovani predsjedavajući, hvala vam kolege. Upravo sada svjedočimo stvaranju multipolarnog svijeta. On je neizbježan. Recimo nešto o viziji te budućnosti.  Nije to samo zbog Kine, o kojoj se ovdje danas raspravlja, nego Indije, Latinske Amerike, Indonezije, Afrike i drugih. Vrijeme jakog Zapada zauvijek prolazi, a za to su najviše zaslužne političke elite na Zapadu. Elite koje su uvijek u pravu, koje nikada ne griješe niti se ispričavaju, a sigurno nikada nizašto ne odgovaraju. Draži su im sastanci s ekipom iz Davosa nego traženja milijuna svojih građana koji na prosvjedima preplavljuju ulice jer im je život nepodnošljiv. Elite koje, umjesto da jačaju građane i njihov prosperitet, radije jačaju portfelj BlackRocka. Takve elite dovode do toga da će udio Zapada u stanovništvu, ekonomiji, ali i u političkom utjecaju biti sjena onoga što je bio.  Najviše tu gubi, a tek će izgubiti, upravo Europa. Ako se nastave sadašnje politike, Europa će se pretvoriti u sirotinju koju nitko više ne poštuje niti išta pita, a njezina privreda u Muzej industrijske baštine.  Multipolaran svijet je za manje zemlje poput Hrvatske dobar jer će imati više izbora i prostora za razvoj. Ako neće biti razumijevanja na jednom mjestu, bit će na nekom drugom mjestu. Nema više pritisaka i ucjenjivanja. Hrvatska će moći iskoristiti poslovne prilike u Aziji i Africi koje ranije nije mogla jer su smetale nekima na Zapadu.  Vrijeme je za novo doba!
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Siegfried Mureşan
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, High Representative, Executive Vice-President, four points from my side on China. Firstly: reduce dependencies on China. We saw with regard to the Russian Federation and dependency on an undemocratic, autocratic regime can be a vulnerability to the European Union. It is a significant risk to the European Union, particularly in times of crisis. We should learn from this. We should invest in research, innovation, use our single market, modernise our digital single market, make sure that our companies become even more competitive on the global scale so that we are as less dependent on China as possible. First point. Second point: economically, China is a significant partner to us. We are a significant partner to it. We are the largest export market for Chinese products, so we should work and insist on reciprocity, improve access to the Chinese market for European companies, make sure that conditions for European companies in China are being improved and unfair practices are being terminated. Thirdly, values are important to us. We should not compromise on values. A selfie with the Communist Chinese leader should not be a goal for the European Union or for any politician coming from the European Union when visiting China. China will not respect us if we are weak. Our objective needs to be to improve our position towards China and speak up on human rights, also when it is difficult. And fourthly: the relationship with the United States and other allies. We need to give a clear message. The alliances that we are members of, the alliances of the free world, are important to the European Union. So are our allies. We are sticking together. The objective of China is to have the upper hand in relation to the European Union. We have to avoid this.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Bernd Lange
Political group: S-D
Country: Portugal
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar, Herr Hoher Repräsentant! Wenn wir uns die kohärente Strategie angucken, dann, glaube ich, sollten wir Theaterdonner lassen, sondern unsere Interessen definieren. Lassen Sie mich vier Punkte nennen: Erstens müssen wir gucken, wo eigentlich der Handel mit China in einer Situation ist, die kritisch ist. 95 Prozent sind unkritisch, 5 Prozent sind kritisch. Da müssen wir unsere Möglichkeiten, zum Beispiel Rohstoffe selbst zu verarbeiten, stärken. Zweitens: Wir haben im letzten Jahr Verteidigungsmittel geschaffen, um unsere Interessen durchzusetzen: das  Drittens: Ich glaube, es ist klar, wir brauchen auch Kooperation in den Bereichen, die für uns besonders interessengeleitet sind, wie die Reduzierung von CO2. Wir brauchen einen globalen CO2-Preis und dazu brauchen wir China. Und viertens: Wir müssen das Netz mit verlässlichen Partnern weiter knüpfen, weil wir dort im Wettbewerb mit China stehen, also mehr bilaterale Handelsabkommen. Und dann können wir unsere Interessen auch besser verteidigen.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Nicola Danti
Political group: Renew
Country: Italy
Language: IT

Signor Presidente, signor Alto rappresentante, signor Vicepresidente, tre parole chiave per provare a definire in un minuto una strategia nei confronti della Cina. La prima: competizione. La Cina è un  La seconda parola: collaborazione. Il grande mercato cinese rappresenta una straordinaria opportunità per le nostre imprese, come del resto noi lo siamo già per loro. La terza: regole. Regole chiare sulla proprietà intellettuale, sulla sicurezza e la privacy di utenti e istituzioni e che tutelino gli investimenti europei in Cina. Tre parole però, che necessitano di un presupposto, un messaggio chiaro che dobbiamo mandare da quest'Aula: eventuali atti ostili nei confronti di Taiwan o un supporto diretto o indiretto al regime di Putin non saranno tollerati e non potranno che avere conseguenze profonde anche sul piano economico.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Markéta Gregorová
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, dear colleagues, ‘China is a big country and you are small countries, and that is a fact’ – that’s what China’s foreign minister said in 2010. And because, individually, we are 27 proud but small countries, formats like 14+1 and flashy state visits of national presidents are playing right into the hands of Beijing. And if the Commission President or High Representative are coming along but are clearly playing a side role, I wonder if this benefits us Europeans at all and how much it harms our Taiwanese allies or Uyghur friends. Increasing international tension is forcing us to become serious about European foreign policy. That means qualified majority votes in the Council and Treaty change. That means EEAS with a mandate. That means that we can discuss content, hopefully, next time, and not how disunited we stand globally at the moment.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Adam Bielan
Political group: ECR
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, dear Commissioner, EU-China relations have deteriorated rapidly over the past years, leading to a more realist approach focusing on sharper economic competition and systemic rivalry. In view of the latest developments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, sanctions for human rights violations and China’s actions against selected Member States, the EU should enhance its resilience, diversify markets and secure supply chains. Moving forward, we should work towards a more balanced and sustainable approach to our relations with China based on strategic priorities. In this regard, I believe there is an opportunity to cooperate on a positive agenda, such as on cooperation on biodiversity, sustainable development and climate change. These engagements should be on equal terms and based on the principle of reciprocity. While China remains a competitor, partner and systemic rival, the EU must strive to reduce its dependency on China while simultaneously engaging in constructive dialogue.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Clara Ponsatí Obiols
Political group: NI
Country: Slovakia
Language: EN

Mr President, when we talk about China and human rights, we talk about individual and collective freedoms. We talk about repression of minorities, as in the case of the Uyghurs, and the right to self-determination, as in Taiwan. But Europe will not get respect until we first do our own homework. Europe has a choice. It can act like a big Switzerland or be a bad copy of China. We can be a Union grounded on communities based on self-determination, where prosperity is fueled by diversity, ingenuity and freedom, or by looking the other way when nations, peoples and political rights are vexed, we will become a degraded version of an authoritarian regime. Europe has a lot of homework and Catalonia is a test to check progress. So far, we’re failing.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Jörgen Warborn
Political group: PPE
Country: Slovakia
Language: EN

Mr President, the European Union stands for open, rules-based and fair trade. We are also the foremost defender of democracy, freedom and human dignity. It is no news that China is very different. It’s a communist autocracy with massive state control of the market, denying its citizens basic human rights and threatening its peaceful neighbours. China cannot be treated like any other trading partner. We want to have a close relationship and we want to increase trade. But that requires positive movement from China: human rights being granted, subsidies abandoned and the freedom of the Taiwanese people respected. We shall not seek unnecessary confrontation, but we need to show firmness towards China and be crystal clear about what is right and what is wrong. This should be done in unity with partners, and especially the transatlantic partnership needs to be reinforced further. In addition, we must drastically reduce our dependency on China for critical raw materials and diversify our supply chains. This could be done with the Mercosur Treaty or free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand. So in summary, we shall cooperate where beneficial, compete when needed and confront when necessary.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Inma Rodríguez-Piñero
Political group: S-D
Country: Netherlands
Language: ES

Señor presidente, señor Dombrovskis, señor Borrell, me voy a referir a dos aspectos fundamentales que tener en cuenta en nuestras relaciones con China.  El primero, nuestras relaciones comerciales, profundamente deterioradas, con un déficit comercial insostenible, una dependencia excesiva de algunas materias primas fundamentales e importantes divergencias normativas.  El segundo, el rol de China como actor global, que ha de ejercer una responsabilidad mayor en la defensa de los derechos humanos y la paz, la estabilidad en el estrecho de Taiwán, el fin de la guerra de Putin y la lucha contra el cambio climático. La Unión necesita implementar una autonomía estratégica abierta para alcanzar unas relaciones más equilibradas, recíprocas, basadas en la competencia leal y en la defensa de nuestros propios intereses.  Por ello, valoro positivamente los nuevos instrumentos sobre defensa comercial y materias primas críticas. Pero creo que es necesario, señor Dombrovskis, desarrollar un mecanismo de control de inversiones extranjeras salientes de la Unión Europea. También es fundamental la unidad, la coherencia y la coordinación de nuestras relaciones con Pekín. Por ello, creo que es fundamental conseguir esa coordinación bajo la responsabilidad de a quien le compete: nuestro alto representante, el señor Borrell, a quien felicito por su trabajo.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Karin Karlsbro
Political group: Renew
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Mr President, Commissioner, Council, colleagues, this debate has been very much anticipated, especially since President von der Leyen and President Macron’s recent visit to China. This is not the first time the EU appears divided on matters of foreign policy. Who is the spokesperson for the EU? Is it Borrell, Michel, von der Leyen, Macron? Or is it Scholz? This underlines the need for a renewed and coherent EU-China strategy. The EU must continue to be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves in China. And there should be absolutely no doubt that Europe stands with Taiwan. We cannot be afraid of aligning strategy with our democratic allies. As democracies, we must stand together always.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Bert-Jan Ruissen
Political group: ECR
Country: France
Language: NL

Voorzitter, mijnheer de hoge vertegenwoordiger, geachte commissaris, beste collega’s, dat China een dictatuur is waar mensenrechten massaal worden geschonden, is natuurlijk al langer bekend. Ondertussen wordt de situatie in China er bepaald niet beter op. We merken dat ook in Europa. China intimideert en bedreigt journalisten en gaat zich te buiten aan grootschalige spionageactiviteiten. En wat te denken van de agressieve houding van China ten opzichte van Taiwan? Het domste wat we nu kunnen doen, is onszelf als westerse wereld tegen elkaar laten uitspelen. Helaas trapte president Macron wel in deze valkuil door afstand te nemen van de VS inzake Taiwan. Heel onverstandig. Trans-Atlantische samenwerking is juist broodnodig, maar ook investeringen om onze afhankelijkheid van China te verminderen, evenals heldere afspraken over bescherming van onze vitale infrastructuur. Tot besluit een concrete vraag aan de commissaris: wanneer reist de nieuwe EU-gezant voor de godsdienstvrijheid af naar Peking? Hij zal daar voldoende te bespreken hebben.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Dino Giarrusso
Political group: NI
Country: Spain
Language: IT

Signor Presidente, colleghi, gli ultimi eventi e gli incontri fra leader europei e vertici della Cina hanno evidenziato in modo lampante come serva una politica estera comune europea. L'Europa deve essere presente e assicurare equilibrio in un momento nel quale le tensioni evidenti, come la guerra in Ucraina, e quelle sotterranee, non meno pericolose, ci obbligano a essere uniti e svolgere quel ruolo di mediatore autorevole fra le altre grandi potenze, Cina e Stati Uniti in particolare, e fra i continenti, pensiamo all'Africa. I rapporti economici e diplomatici con la Cina vanno alimentati, senza mai trascurare però il rispetto dei diritti umani e senza penalizzare le nostre realtà produttive, le nostre eccellenze e il nostro ingegno. Evitare tensioni eccessive fra Stati Uniti e Cina è dunque un compito preciso dell'Europa, che nessun altro potrebbe svolgere, ma che necessita di unità, di compattezza politica, di autorevolezza e consapevolezza di quanto sia importante il ruolo dell'Europa nei prossimi decenni. Anche osservando ciò che accade in Africa, che ci riguarda molto da vicino, e sempre tenendo presente l'emergenza climatica e ambientale che la Cina non può ignorare. Non perdiamo più troppo tempo, per favore, uniamoci e agiamo insieme.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Lukas Mandl
Political group: PPE
Country: Portugal
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar, Herr Hoher Vertreter, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Es ist wichtig, dass die Europäische Union, wie der Titel dieses Tagesordnungspunktes sagt, eine kohärente Strategie in Richtung China entwickelt. Der strategische Kompass, den wir vor gar nicht allzu langer Zeit verabschiedet haben, spricht eine klare Sprache, sieht China als strategischen Partner, als ökonomischen Mitbewerber und als systemischen Rivalen. Alle drei Dimensionen sind in den Blick zu nehmen. Der systemische Rivale scheint leider immer mehr in den Vordergrund zu kommen. Seit ich vor mehr als einem halben Jahrzehnt China mehrfach besuchen durfte, scheint mir sich die Situation deutlich verschlechtert zu haben – in Sachen Menschenrechte, in Sachen Gewissensfreiheit. Hongkong beispielsweise war eine blühende Handelsstadt, ist zum Polizeistaat geworden, gewissermaßen. Die systemische Rivalität ist groß, und auch auf der globalen Bühne muss man sagen: Zeig mir, wer deine Freunde sind, und ich sage dir, wer du bist. Also bitte keine Freundschaft mit Putin, Russland und den Gräueltaten von dort.  Der ökonomische Wettbewerb verlangt Reziprozität. Es kann nicht sein, dass europäische Unternehmen keine Rechtssicherheit in China haben, während chinesische Unternehmen auf dem europäischen Markt diese Rechtssicherheit wie alle anderen bekommen. Und selbstverständlich ist die strategische Partnerschaft neu auszuloten.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Udo Bullmann
Political group: S-D
Country: Romania
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, Hoher Vertreter, Herr Vizepräsident der Kommission! Ja, Frau von der Leyen hat eine interessante Rede gehalten. Lasst uns aufpassen auf unsere ökonomischen Interessen, lasst uns aufpassen auf unsere technologischen Interessen. Das ist richtig. Sie erwähnt die Menschenrechte. Auch das sehr zutreffend – massivste Verletzungen in China. Aber was heißt das denn? Dieser Aspekt wird nicht durchdekliniert, und das ist ein Problem. Sind wir bereit, unser globales Sanktionsregime auch gegen die Unternehmen einzusetzen, die Technologien liefern, mit denen Menschen verfolgt und unterdrückt werden? Sind wir bereit, unsere Handelsbeziehungen so auszugestalten, dass die Standards eingehalten werden gegen Zwangsarbeit in Xinjiang Und können wir in unserer Entwicklungs- und Außenwirtschaftspolitik endlich dafür sorgen, dass dort, wo europäisches Geld ausgegeben wird, auch nur Firmen profitieren, die unsere Standards der Menschenrechte einhalten? Das ist eine gemeinsame Aufgabe, werte Kolleginnen und Kollegen, für alle europäischen Institutionen, auch für uns in diesem Haus.
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations
Date: TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023
Speaker: Jordi Cañas
Political group: Renew
Country: Portugal
Language: ES

Señor presidente, comisario, alto representante, cuando uno se pregunta sobre la necesidad de una estrategia coherente es bien o porque no tiene estrategia o porque no es coherente. O ambas cosas.  Cualquiera de las tres es una mala noticia, porque China sí la tiene; China tiene una estrategia que es la hegemonía. Como ustedes saben, el go es un juego que se originó en China hace más de 2 500 años. Es un juego donde dos jugadores luchan por expandir el territorio propio cuando sea posible, atacando las debilidades del contrario. China lleva décadas jugando al go, poniendo sus piezas en el tablero global: primero Asia, luego África, luego Latinoamérica y casi Europa —nada, bueno, poco, poco o insuficiente—.  China es un jugador global. La pregunta es si nosotros queremos ser un jugador global o queremos ser una pieza en el tablero. Yo creo que debemos ser un jugador global, y eso significa asumir responsabilidades y los costes de ser un jugador global, porque si uno no es un jugador global, corre el riesgo de ser una pieza en un juego, y las piezas en los juegos se sacrifican.