Qu Xun, chargé d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Spain, pointed out at a conference in Madrid on Wednesday that Beijing is “deeply disappointed” with Europe's plan to limit Chinese investment, and warned that such measures would force China to “shut the door” to Europe.
Qu Xun delivered unusually frank public remarks for a Chinese official. He said: “Over the past three months, Europe's controls, restrictions, and sanctions against China have made us very disappointed.”
Qu Xun said: “These measures are pushing us into a corner, forcing us to respond and shut the door. This has changed the mindset of the Chinese people.”
Qu Xun made these comments during a panel discussion at an event held by IESE Business School in Madrid. He also said that China has always regarded Europe as an “open-minded” region.
The European Parliament is currently in the early stages of promoting related legislation. The draft bill proposes strict regulations regarding the EU's control and ownership in key manufacturing sectors, and restricts “high-risk” suppliers in the field of cybersecurity, a move that has displeased China.
Beijing has been pushing to delete key clauses in the new manufacturing rules relating to origin, procurement, and technological requirements, and has also called for the definition of “high-risk” in cybersecurity rules to be toned down.
For a long time, CEOs of European and American companies have criticized the continuous growth in exports from subsidized Chinese firms as unfair, and have called for greater market access in China. At present, some Chinese industries still impose restrictions on foreign investors.
Qu Xun said: “We know that European businesses have a lot of complaints about the difficulty of entering the Chinese market. That is a fact. The world is tough… We have to adapt to the business environment in every country… But we also have to respect the rules.”