Former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel has warned against economic decoupling, calling it a "lose-lose" strategy that would harm global prosperity, in a recent interview with Southern Weekly in Guangzhou, the capital of South China's Guangdong Province.
"There is great respect among Europeans for China's peaceful rise," Schüssel said. Over the past four decades, he has visited China more than ten times, witnessing what he described as the country's "incredible development."
A strong proponent of China-Europe ties, Schüssel played a key role in expanding economic cooperation during his tenure as Austria's chancellor from 2002 to 2007, a period during which bilateral trade saw significant growth.
In recent years, calls for "decoupling" and "de-globalization" have raised concerns about the future of China-Europe cooperation. Schüssel firmly rejected these notions, emphasizing that globalization and international trade have been key drivers of economic growth worldwide.
"Globalization benefits China, Europe, the United States, and less developed nations alike," he said, emphasizing that decoupling is neither practical nor desirable. "If decoupling were to truly happen, it could shrink global GDP by more than 7 percent."
He warned that countries most embedded in global trade networks—such as China, European nations, and the United States—would suffer the greatest consequences, making decoupling an unsustainable and damaging path for all.
Reporter | Mao Shujie, Liu Xiaodi
Video editor | Lu Xiaoyue
Video script | Mao Shujie
Cameraman | Lv Huiqian
Editor | Yao Yijiang, Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He
