European Parliament’s New Powers and the Implications for China

European Parliament (hereinafter EP) is always described as the ‘anti-China base’ and ‘troublemaker’ by the Chinese media or netizens. Indeed, there are a number of reasons for this: The EP opposes lifting the arms embargo or granting Market Economic Status to China; EU-China relations have often been overshadowed, even jeopardized, by events such as the MEP’s fierce criticism of China’s ‘violation’ of human rights, the decision to give Hu Jia the Sakharov Prize and invite the Dalai Lama to address in Brussels, and numerous resolutions on Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan. The latest issue is a resolution approved by the EP on the case of Ai Weiwei on 7 April 2011.1 These resolutions have no biding force, but can exert public pressure on a certain issue and badly damage China’s global image. More importantly, they defy and challenge China’s ‘core interests’.