Several European countries have grown increasingly frustrated with Chinese President Xi Jinping's are making moves to challenge his world views, reports The Wall Street Journal.
U.S.-China relations sharply deteriorated in 2020 over how China initially handled the coronavirus outbreak and ongoing human rights abuses. Beijing and Washington also remain locked in a trade war and are competing over 5G networks and other technologies.
Some countries are following the U.S.'s lead.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in September called for an inquiry into the roots of the coronavirus. In 2018, the country banned Chinese technology giant Huawei Technology Co. and fellow communications firm ZTE from its 5G rollout because of national security concerns.
The U.K. this summer said it would bar telecom companies from purchasing new equipment made by Huawei for their 5G networks, a move seen as a victory for the U.S., while France told telecoms operators planning to buy Huawei 5G equipment they would not be able to renew licenses for the gear once they expire.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France was favoring European providers for security reasons.
Wess Mitchell, principal at the Marathon Initiative who served as assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian affairs from 2017 to 2019, told the Journal 2020 China "has become plank number one for the U.S. in our diplomatic conversations with Europeans.
"Our best ally in the effort to make China an issue is China's own behavior."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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