Following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s revanchist speech in Munich, US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy was even more up front with the reason for this attempt at “rapprochement” with the Europeans, still recovering from the tongue-lashing they received from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the last Munich conference. Colby, while reiterating the mantra of wanting a “stable and respectful” relationship with China, underlined that one must deal with China from a “position of strength,” implying for the Europeans that, unable to pit their own weight against China, that “strength” came from cooperation with the United States.
Colby claimed that the U.S. simply wanted “stability” in the Taiwan Strait and was not interested in “strangling” China. “That’s not what we’re trying to do, but we’re going to make sure that we and our allies and partners are operating from a position of strength. That, to me, is common sense,” Colby said. “Stability involves both a willingness to engage, but also clarity and strength. And we’re all about building up a position of strength … Encouraging our allies to do for their own reasons, that’s the right mix under President Trump’s leadership.”
It’s not clear that the European nations are buying this new “courtship” from the Trump Administration. While their insistence on pursuing a war with Russia, which is becoming more questionable even for some among the European leaders, pushing a hard line against China as well may be a “bridge too far.” Many European leaders have been traveling to China during the first part of the year, eager to achieve economic agreements with this important global producer. And the numerous meetings between Wang Yi and members of his large delegation with their European counterparts indicates that Wang Yi’s message of cooperation rather than confrontation is gaining momentum.
