On Wednesday 17 January in Strasbourg, the European Parliament adopted by a large majority (565 votes in favour, 26 against and 31 abstentions) the report by Klemen Grošelj (Renew Europe, Slovenian) on the security and defence implications of China’s influence on the EU’s critical infrastructure.
This report presents the particularities of the Chinese socio-political system and its strategy of military-civil fusion (MCF). The aim is to increase the domination of the Chinese Communist Party and its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army, in foreign countries in order to achieve a dominant geopolitical position through Chinese companies and their international activities.
The report warns in particular about technology transfer and the vulnerabilities of the EU resulting from China’s monopoly on several key technologies and critical raw materials.
The report therefore recommends reducing the EU’s external dependencies and increasing the diversification of its supply chain, as well as broadening the regulatory framework to exclude entities likely to contribute to MCF.
“We must rapidly put in place a comprehensive regulatory framework that excludes any entry by entities that could threaten Europe’s security (...), particularly in the field of technologies with military implications”, said Mr Grošelj during the vote.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/aew (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)