The European Union’s new foreign policy chief signaled she will take a tough stance on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, while advocating for a strong alliance between Europe and the United States.
Kaja Kallas addressed the European Parliament for the first time in her new role in mid-November 2024, stressing the EU will be steadfast in its commitment to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.
The former Estonian prime minister, who will serve a five-year term, warned that Iran, North Korea, Russia and — more covertly — the PRC want to change the rules-based world order. She called on the EU to respond to this threat alongside its closest allies and partners “without losing an inch of who we are.”
Kallas’ policies “remain firmly supporting Ukraine’s victory,” said Elze Pinelyte, an expert on Sino-EU relations.
Kallas “reflects the view that Europe needs to do more for its own defense and security, and this is not inconsistent with NATO and the European and American alliance,” said Ivan U. Klyszcz, a researcher at the Estonia-based International Centre for Defence and Security.
Kallas’ tough stance toward Beijing was first seen during her tenure as Estonia’s prime minister, when her government advocated that the nation’s PRC policy should be promoted within the framework of EU-PRC relations.
In 2022, Estonia announced its withdrawal from a Beijing-led cooperative initiative among the PRC and Central and Eastern European nations.
After the 2024 European Parliament elections, Kallas was nominated as EU foreign policy chief. She then resigned as prime minister.
Pinelyte said Kallas likely will “seek support to limit China’s ability to fight Russia’s war.” Analysts and officials say Beijing is enabling Moscow’s aggression by providing it with dual-use technology used in weapons such as missiles, drones and tanks.
Since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has condemned Beijing’s support for Moscow. Kallas said that without the PRC’s support, “Russia cannot maintain the war with the same intensity.”
The PRC should face “a higher cost” for supporting Russia, Kallas said.
In October 2024, Kallas told the European Parliament that, as EU foreign policy chief, she would be committed to countering Russia’s “imperialist dream” and the PRC’s “unfair competition.”
For more than a year, the EU and Beijing have been in a trade dispute over products such as electric vehicles, with the EU saying that the PRC’s large subsidies are unfair.
