China Shifts Approach Toward De-Risking With Appeals to CEOs
- Li Qiang tries to split firms from their politicians on policy
- Rhetoric is attempt to hold back US, EU efforts to limit China
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When the US first embraced “de-risking” to get Europe on board with measures to deny key technology to China, officials in Beijing dismissed the term as no different than decoupling. Now they are trying a new strategy: Redefine the concept.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week acknowledged the legitimacy of de-risking while speaking to CEOs on a trip to Germany, but said it should be decided by business leaders instead of governments. He also warned that risks shouldn’t be “exaggerated” — opening a discussion on what exactly poses a serious threat to national security.