BRUSSELS – Some European countries are beginning to block Chinese involvement in their economies, and move closer to positions advocated by the US amid growing anxiety in Europe over China’s increasingly aggressive geopolitical stance.
Governments from the Baltic to the Adriatic have recently canceled public tenders that would win over Chinese state-owned enterprises or ban Chinese enterprises from investing or contracting in their countries.
The shifts were caused by a mix of concerns about national security and disappointment with the performance of Chinese contractors, say officials involved in the decisions. Several of the canceled projects fall within the global infrastructure initiative of China, Belt and Road, which is disappointing several participating countries.
The shift is largely taking place in smaller European countries, contributing to tensions within the European Union, where large countries are still largely in favor of maintaining business ties with China.
Romania and Lithuania are taking broad measures to exclude Chinese companies from certain public procurement. Other movements are more directed. Authorities in Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Romania have suspended public tenders involving Chinese businesses for nuclear power plants, highways, railways, safety scanners and a shipping container terminal. Greece discusses whether a Chinese shipping company should allow its majority stake in the country’s largest port.