‘U.S, Europe going separate ways’

London, UK | XINHUA |  The United States and Europe are going separate ways as U.S. President Joe Biden has established a pattern of ignoring the opinions of the European allies since assuming office eight months ago, the Financial Times said in an opinion article.

The differences between the two sides are manifest in Biden’s “three declared priorities” — COVID-19, climate and China, the article said on Tuesday.

“The U.S. and its European allies have yet to forge a convincing common front on China and look unlikely to do so,” it said, citing Europe’s strong business interests in China’s market and little European support for decoupling with China.

Most of America’s allies trade much more with China than they do with the United States, it noted.

On climate, Biden “talks a big game on global warming but is not walking the walk,” the article said.

What Biden has proposed would not get the United States close to fulfilling his goal of halving emissions by 2030; yet ironically, John Kerry, Biden’s climate envoy, is travelling the world urging countries to do the things America will not do, it pointed out.

The Biden administration’s lack of real commitment to climate issues risks making the COP26 climate change summit that Britain is due to host in November become “a train wreck,” it noted.

In terms of COVID-19, both sides of the Atlantic are falling far short of pledges to end “vaccine apartheid,” and neither looks willing to redeem them in the near future, the article said.

COVID-19 is one area where Europe and America’s goals and means are well matched, yet their shared lack of political will has failed to bring them together to do their part for the world, it lamented.

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