In the Hungarian text, negotiated line-by-line between the bloc’s 27 member countries and presented last week, an earlier list of critical sectors was deleted, said the three diplomats, who were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential deliberations. This would narrow the scope of deals that would, under the proposed rules, have to be notified to other EU countries and the European Commission.
“It is more a risk for Europe than a gift to China — especially at a time where risks don’t come only from China,” said Francesca Ghiretti, an expert on EU-China relations and FDI screening at Rand Europe, who has published extensively on the subject.
Still, it’s notable that the proposal was diluted during the presidency of Hungary, which is one of the most pro-China governments in the EU, and which has thrown its doors open to Chinese investments into the…
