According to a report in the Western media, European Commission officials criticized EU High Representative Kaja Kallas for comparing the EU’s trade relations with China to cancer.
According to Politico, citing its own sources, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, caused dissatisfaction among the European Commission and some EU member states after likening the bloc’s trade relations with China to cancer.
European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told Politico, “These remarks do not reflect the position of the European Commission.”
Kallas’ choice of language was also condemned within the Commission. An official familiar with the situation in the European Commission told Politico, “You cannot speak like this as a diplomat. There are words that can be used to send certain signals, but you cannot compare countries to diseases.”
The official also stated that, as of now, five EU countries have expressed their dissatisfaction to Brussels over Kallas’ remarks. The EU believes that such undiplomatic statements could damage relations with Beijing.
In her assessment of the European Union’s relations with China, Kallas said that Europe has “a very clear understanding of the diagnosis of the disease,” adding:
“If you have a very serious illness like cancer, you have two choices: either you increase the dose of morphine, or you start chemotherapy.”