It was pressure from the Trump administration, after all, that led several European countries to abandon contracts with Chinese telecom giant Huawei amid cybersecurity concerns flagged by the U.S.
Germany, in particular, has avoided confrontation with China over Huawei due to fears that Beijing could retaliate against its automobile industry. The country agreed to exclude Huawei from its networks earlier this year, but pushed the execution day back further than expected.
During Joe Biden’s current presidency, Washington’s tone toward Europe has been more conciliatory. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Europe in 2021 that the U.S. “won’t force our allies into a ‘us or them’ choice with China.”
Under Trump, that conciliatory approach could change 180 degrees — a boon for China hawks.
“[European Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen clearly wants a tougher approach to China but she faces resistance from hesitant member states, primarily Germany,” said one senior EU official. “A little push from another Trump administration would help her rather than harm her.”
As the Nov. 5 election draws near, don’t expect European officials to voice these views in public. Trump is deeply unpopular in most of Europe, and there are few political points to score from embracing him.
But officials have said it might be time to embrace autonomy, suggesting that Europe should prepare for a big change in EU-U.S. relations, no matter who is elected.
“Europeans must take their destiny into their own hands, regardless of who is elected U.S. president,” French Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad said on French TV last week.
