How can the EU stop China stealing its secrets?

Fonseca on China

By Fonseca

Published on 26/04/2019 - 07:35•Updated 27/04/2019 - 08:53

China is a key investment partner for Europe, but is it a fair one? Euronews asks two senior EU figures how the relationship should be managed.

China is often accused of cheating.

Whether it be about undermining prices by dumping cheap goods; sidestepping workers rights; or even stealing information to gain an advantage over competitors.

But at the same time, no EU country can afford to ignore the world's trade superpower.

YouTube creator Fonseca, from VisualPolitk, partnering with Euronews at the Democracy Alive festival in the Dutch Island of Texel, analyzes the question with two of the main candidates of the European Elections: Bas Eickhout, co-candidate of the Greens and Margrethe Vestager, for the Liberals.

As European Competition Commissioner, Vestager has been addressing the issue since 2014 and she sees China as both a partner and a competitor. Her goal is to ensure equal opportunities for European businesses wanting access to Chinese markets.

For Eickhout, the problem is that Europe hasn’t got a clear direction and so investors aren’t reassured. He also thinks that Chinese investment funds are taking advantage of Europe’s lack of clarity and common political objectives.

The Democracy Alive festival, organized by the pro-European lobby European Movement, took place on the Dutch island of Texel gathering top politicians, activists and citizens to discuss the issues affecting Europe today.