Published: February 10th, 2021,
Last updated: February 22nd, 2023
Bad times for Europe: First, the Russian government snubs Brussels while Foreign Affairs Commissioner Borrell is in Moscow. Now Beijing takes advantage of the EU Commission’s bad image when it comes to procuring vaccines for its member countries. Far away from any diplomatic custom, head of state Xi Jinping chaired Tuesday’s meeting with Eastern and Central European states in the 17+1 format himself – and put cooperation on Covid vaccine procurement at the center. The message to Brussels couldn’t be more painful: We will mercilessly exploit your weakness. Amelie Richter has the details.