How will EU’s shift to the right alter trade, tech and other ties with China?

Green cooperation could be among first casualties of European Parliament after poll, while approach to Ukraine war may also change

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Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the French far-right party National Rally. Success of far-right politicians in recent European Parliament elections will alter China-EU relations, say analysts. Photo: AP

Published: 10:30am, 27 Jun 2024Updated: 11:46am, 17 Jul 2024

The European Parliament’s expected shift to the right could complicate the EU’s trade ties with China and inject new uncertainties into the bloc’s approach towards Ukraine and the intensifying US-China rivalry, analysts said.

A record number of right-wing politicians were elected to the parliament in early June in an election involving 373 million voters in 27 European Union countries.

The centre-right European People’s Party, the party of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, retained most seats in the legislature while the socialists and the liberals suffered heavy defeats.

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Could a far-right shift in the EU parliament change its relations with China?

Their losses were blows to the parties of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, with the results prompting Macron to call snap legislative elections to be held in France from Sunday.

Wang Yiwei, a Europe specialist at Renmin University, said the right-wing surge was likely to spur the European Union – which is already ‘de-risking” to cut economic dependence on China and boost its own competitiveness – to press ahead with punitive measures, such as greater tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles.

Wang said the most direct impact would be on green cooperation, as right-wing politicians were highly sceptical of the EU’s green agenda.

“The original purpose [for EV imports] was to reduce emissions, but they now say … the Green New Deal is wrong and harms the industry and employment. This would cause greater troubles for China,” he said.