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Polish PM blasts 'short-sighted' European opening to China after Macron visit / Photo: © AFP
Polish PM blasts 'short-sighted' European opening to China after Macron visit
Poland's prime minister on Thursday accused Europeans of making a potentially historic mistake by seeking greater ties with China, in a clear reference to French President Emmanuel Macron, as he warned of consequences for Ukraine.
"Short-sightedly they look to China to be able sell more EU products there at huge geopolitical costs, making us more dependent on China and not less," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on a visit to Washington.
"You cannot protect Ukraine today and tomorrow by saying Taiwan is not your business," he said at the Atlantic Council think tank, paraphrasing Macron without naming him.
"I think, God forbid, if Ukraine falls, if Ukraine gets conquered, the next day China may attack -- can attack -- Taiwan," he said.
Alluding to Macron's comments alongside President Xi Jinping about a more multipolar role, Morawiecki scoffed.
"European autonomy sounds fancy, doesn't it? But it means shifting the center of European gravity towards China and severing the ties with the US," he said.
"I do not quite understand the concept of strategic autonomy if it means de facto shooting into our own knee.
"Some European countries are trying to make the same mistake that was made with Russia -- this dramatic mistake" of dependence, he said.
M. Taylor--BTZ
