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EU's Borrell Warns China 'De-risking' May Speed Up if Imbalances Persist

FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks on the tensions between the neighboring Western Balkan nations in Brussels, Belgium, August 18, 2022. REUTERS/ Johanna Geron/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks on the tensions between the neighboring Western Balkan nations in Brussels, Belgium, August 18, 2022. REUTERS/ Johanna Geron/File Photo
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EU's Borrell Warns China 'De-risking' May Speed Up if Imbalances Persist

FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks on the tensions between the neighboring Western Balkan nations in Brussels, Belgium, August 18, 2022. REUTERS/ Johanna Geron/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks on the tensions between the neighboring Western Balkan nations in Brussels, Belgium, August 18, 2022. REUTERS/ Johanna Geron/File Photo

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, urged China on Friday to redress economic and trade imbalances or efforts by Europe to reduce its dependence on China may "accelerate far more than is good".
Borrell is on a three-day visit to China and is expected to have discussions on thorny issues including trade, Ukraine and human rights, Reuters said.
"It is ... in our interest to find common ground, to redress the imbalance in our economic and trade relations," Borrell told students at the capital's prestigious Peking University.
"Otherwise, de-risking may indeed accelerate far more than is good, as the public opinion will increase its pressure on political leaders to disengage more from China."
Borrell's long-anticipated trip to Shanghai and Beijing was postponed twice and comes a week after the EU launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicle imports, which drew Beijing's ire.
The 27-member bloc's record $426.08 billion trade deficit with the world's second-largest economy has become a major sticking point in the relationship, along with China's close ties with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
"My question to China is how can we make this interdependency less conflictual," Borrell said, referring to economic ties, adding that the bloc and China needed to work together more than ever.
Brussels has dubbed China an "economic competitor and a systemic rival", but both sides are determined to resume dialogue after the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of rising geopolitical tension, even as the relationship has grown more troubled in recent years.
Later on Friday, Borrell is expected to press Foreign Minister Wang Yi on issues including market access, Ukraine, Taiwan, climate and the Middle East crisis in the first EU-China High-Level Strategic Dialogue in two years.
The visit also aims to lay the groundwork for an EU-China Summit expected before the end of the year, and comes after a string of trips to China by top EU officials in recent months.
The state media tabloid Global Times said in a Thursday editorial the visit presented a "significant opportunity for candid communication" but it urged the EU to maintain strategic autonomy from the United States.
China's foreign ministry has also welcomed the visit, with a spokesperson on Wednesday saying China was "ready to work with the EU to enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation, overcome interference".
China's economic czar, He Lifeng, urged the EU to "exercise restraint" in its use of trade remedy measures during a visit by the bloc's trade chief to Beijing last month.
But Brussels is reportedly planning anti-subsidy investigations of steelmakers producing excess in countries such as China, as part of a pact with the United States.

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France’s Mayotte Struggles to Recover as Cyclone Overwhelms Hospitals

This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)
This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)
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France’s Mayotte Struggles to Recover as Cyclone Overwhelms Hospitals

This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)
This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)

One week after its worst cyclone in nearly a century, and a day after a testy presidential visit, France’s impoverished Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte is still grappling with counting the dead, restoring essential services and aiding a beleaguered population.

Cyclone Chido wreaked devastation across the archipelago. Already stretched thin, hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering not only from cyclone-related injuries but also from dehydration, malnutrition and disease.

At Mayotte’s main hospital in the capital, Mamoudzou, doctors faced a cascade of crises.

“We lost 40% of patient rooms, about 50 to 60 beds,” said Dr. Roger Serhal, chief of the obstetrics and gynecology department. “There are so many patients coming to the hospital, and we don’t have space to admit them.”

As Chido battered the archipelago last weekend with 220 kph (136 mph) winds, Serhal and his team delivered three babies, including by cesarean section.

The hospital’s structural damage has forced staff to triage patients, prioritizing the most severe cases. Though the official death toll remains 35, according to the French Interior Ministry on Saturday, the number of seriously injured has risen to 78, with 2,432 others sustaining minor injuries. Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq has warned that any estimates are likely major undercounts “compared to the scale of the disaster.”

Emergency aid was being delivered by air and sea. Since the cyclone, 31 tons of food and 108 tons of water have arrived, with an additional 1.6 million liters of water expected Monday aboard a container ship, according to the Interior Ministry.

The hospital is operating at 50% capacity, while 109 patients have been evacuated to mainland France for urgent care. Three advanced medical posts have been established on Grande-Terre, Mayotte’s main island, to address the surge in need.

The storm has devastated entire neighborhoods. Many people ignored warnings, thinking the storm wouldn’t be so extreme. Even worse, many migrants avoided shelters out of fear of deportation, authorities said, adding there could be hundreds or possibly thousands of fatalities.

Doctors fear that the lack of clean water and electricity — compounded by overcrowded living conditions — is setting the stage for a health crisis. “Patients are coming because their illnesses are untreated, there’s no water, and no electricity. We’re concerned about epidemics, like the cholera outbreak we stopped just months ago,” said Dr. Vincent Gilles, the hospital’s emergency medical director.

The hospital staff continues to work tirelessly, but resources are running dangerously low. “If we have rain it will be catastrophic,” Serhal said.

Among the patients struggling to recover is Saindou Mohamadi, 54, who fractured his arm and sprained his ankle during the storm that left his home completely destroyed.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mohamadi expressed despair for his family. “My mother is sick, I’m sick, and my child is sick,” he said. “They need to eat, but I’m the one who takes care of the food, and now we have nothing.” With six children to support, Mohamadi is among countless residents left homeless and destitute.

“I’m not alone,” he said. “There are many of us who have lost everything — our houses, our food. I want the government to care about us, to give us food and a place to sleep.”

Mayotte, a densely populated archipelago of over 320,000 people, is also home to an estimated 100,000 migrants, many living in precarious conditions.

The poorest overseas region of France and, by extension, the European Union has long struggled with systemic neglect and underinvestment. Around 75% of its population lives in poverty, and the archipelago’s infrastructure was ill-equipped to withstand a disaster of this magnitude. Chido’s destruction has compounded these challenges, leaving many residents with little faith in the government’s ability to provide timely and adequate relief.

Efforts to deliver emergency aid, including airlifts of water and food, are underway, but the scale of the need is staggering. Mayotte’s airport remains closed to civilian flights due to damage, further complicating logistics.

French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit on Friday, acknowledged the gravity of the situation and pledged to rebuild but faced criticism from residents frustrated by the slow pace of aid.

Calling the archipelago “totally devastated,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau painted a bleak picture — with some 70% of the population gravely affected by the catastrophe, and many left homeless and vulnerable. For now, the island’s residents and its overstretched medical staff are left to confront the daunting aftermath of Chido, one day at a time.