MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The EU countries will yield to Washington's pressure and put up with restrictions owing to US sanctions imposed on third countries in order to support their Atlantic ally in the fight against Beijing, the Valdai Discussion Club’s Program Director Timofey Bordachev said at the XI Asian Conference on "Russia and Asia after the pandemic".
The expert underlined that "2020 was the year of Asia," noting that this part of the world was not only the origin of the coronavirus but also of common methods of combating it - quarantine and large-scale restrictions. At the same time, it would be more appropriate to talk not even about Asian, but precisely about Chinese methods of fighting the pandemic, Bordachev said.
Thus, the expert believes China's authority on the international arena has substantially increased by the end of this year and is likely to keep growing further, which will fuel confrontation with the United States.
"The change in the world balance of power was due to China’s growth, the enormous strengthening of Chinese opportunities, and entering global competition. Perhaps, that's why Asia is identified with China. When we say that Asian countries handle the virus better, we mean China, not India," Bordachev said.
This confrontation is likely to be translated into trade and sanctions wars. That is, Washington will deepen and promote unilateral sanctions, punishing not only Chinese companies, but also those that collaborate with them, including the US allies’ companies in Europe. The European Union in this situation, as in the case of cooperation with Russia, will face a choice - to yield to pressure or to tolerate Washington’s actions and to stop working with Beijing.
"The Europeans are in a more challenging situation now, however, I think that European countries will eventually agree to some economic self-restraint in order to support their American allies in a constant struggle against the Chinese power growth," Bordachev said.