At a top-level meeting of her 26 department chiefs in March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen quietly approved a plan to stop EU funds from going to clean technology projects containing Chinese inverters.
The commission wants to prevent EU money from flowing to such projects and curb research cooperation under its Horizon programme, where Chinese inverters are involved, according to four people familiar with the plan.
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This would fit with the bloc’s ambition to support local manufacturers, who complain they are being crushed by Chinese competition.
It dovetails too with heightened security fears that China, seen in large parts of Europe as a geopolitical rival, could cut power to the grid should relations worsen.
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What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback
What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback
But the plan, which was made without public announcement and which has not been previously reported, also reflects new thinking in Brussels among those dealing with Beijing, several sources confirmed. This can be summed up as: do more, say less.
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