"I would suspect it's because a lot of China's foreign buying spree involves state owned/controlled companies."
Yet if you look at the data objectively, Chinese companies (both private and state-owned) are just playing by the rules of the western market economy. They are purchasing and investing, playing the capitalist game just like everybody else.
The west also has state-owned enterprises. In Canada, we call them crown corporations (e.g., Bombardier). Yet whenever a corporation is owned by a western government, tons of waste happens and somehow our companies rarely make products that are competitive with the global market. They are just not competitive.
So it seems to me that China and their companies are playing the capitalist game better than EU, and the core of EU are being sour grapes.
"China's broadening influence over parts of Europe"
Sounds like an assault on Europe. But let me help you look at it objectively.
"Germany's concern about the growing competition from China" <-- Isn't this protectionism? This isn't political influence, but that Germany is shying away from genuine free market competition. Germany benefits at the expense of Greece. Germany is unfair in how it plays the game
"block another EU statement criticizing China's territorial claims in the South China Sea" <-- This is political, yet it doesn't affected EU. Why is EU so concerned about China's backyard anyway. Imagine if China picks sides in Europe's petty fights like Catalan independence, and brexit, etc. To me it's European overreach (just like Americans), and the less of this the better.
This article has an undertone of China "taking over" the west, as it raises a "red flag at the European Union level".
Yet if you look at the data objectively, Chinese companies (both private and state-owned) are just playing by the rules of the western market economy. They are purchasing and investing, playing the capitalist game just like everybody else.
The west also has state-owned enterprises. In Canada, we call them crown corporations (e.g., Bombardier). Yet whenever a corporation is owned by a western government, tons of waste happens and somehow our companies rarely make products that are competitive with the global market. They are just not competitive.
So it seems to me that China and their companies are playing the capitalist game better than EU, and the core of EU are being sour grapes.
Yet if you look at the data objectively, Chinese companies (both private and state-owned) are just playing by the rules of the western market economy. They are purchasing and investing, playing the capitalist game just like everybody else.
The west also has state-owned enterprises. In Canada, we call them crown corporations (e.g., Bombardier). Yet whenever a corporation is owned by a western government, tons of waste happens and somehow our companies rarely make products that are competitive with the global market. They are just not competitive.
So it seems to me that China and their companies are playing the capitalist game better than EU, and the core of EU are being sour grapes.