HONG KONG — At the core of Chairman Mao Zedong's revolutionary theory was the strategy of the united front: Identify the main enemy and then isolate it by forming a united front with as many other classes, groups or elements as possible. Once that is done, the process can be continued with the identification of the next main enemy. China's policy toward Europe seems to reflect that strategy.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy stuck his finger in Beijing's eye by announcing that he would meet with the Dalai Lama the same week that the European Union was meant to hold a summit meeting with China last December. An infuriated Beijing canceled the summit conference. Now, Beijing is seeking to isolate France by wooing other key EU members.
Premier Wen Jiabao recently concluded a trip to Europe, during which he went to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos and then visited Germany, Belgium, Spain and Britain. Wen pointed out that he had circumnavigated France.