Love for Sale

Austria, Belgium, the Czech republic, Greece, Italy and the UK made more nuanced statements but were broadly-speaking in the French camp. The UK said only that diplomats should study implications for regional stability before making the move.

EUobserver reports on the usual policy-by-scrum going on in EUtopia. It reads like the racing form.

While the method of dialog tends to make ones’ eyes glassy, you have to stay awake to notice that they’re talking about arms sales to China.

It reads rather typically of any sort of subject in the “political union”, and is largely undifferentiated from events: for one thing, China has been aggressive in the waters around her, ramping up the hostility to Vietnam and Taiwan, and sending smoke signals about war to the US.

France, the strongest pro-China advocate, said "the embargo is anachronistic and must go" and showed "zero flexibility" on asking Beijing to make reforms in return for lifting the embargo, arguing that "China would not accept human rights conditionality."

Which is to say that they found a way to rationalize their way around the “human rights policy” that they like to think makes them the only residents in heaven.

Wen arrived in London to meet his British counterpart David Cameron. At a joint press conference, Cameron cited late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's most famous quote - "It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches the mice" - to express his attitude on Britain's introduction of Chinese-made high-speed trains.

So life goes on in totally unlinked, dissociative fashion. Naturally, the Europeans will sell them weapons. It comes on the heels of the Chinese leadership touring Europe and lavishing them with bailout money and deposits to backstop their banks.

Wen began the first leg of his tour on June 24 in Budapest, the first visit to Hungary by a Chinese premier in 24 years. He signed a number of cooperative deals with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and announced that China was ready to purchase Hungarian government bonds and extend 1 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) in credit. The purchase of Hungarian treasury bonds was hailed by Orban as "historic help" for Hungary.

And vice versa, even at the cost of selling their only real ally and security guarantor up the river.

It calls for Soviet era sounding statements and declarations that sound as if they could be about “the thrilling tractor production quotas being not just met, but beaten!” and ‘new eras in international relations and world peace’:

"The wide range of topics up for discussion and the substantial achievements are all pioneering work in the history of Sino-German relations and Sino-EU relations," Wen said during a press conference with Merkel.