China’s Europe strategy, revealed

Dear readers,
I’ve had a fascinating week with many engaging discussions on some of the most important topics of our age. I was honored to host one of the world’s pre-eminent Sinologists — Professor Minxin Pei from Claremont McKenna College in California — and introduce him to the political elite in Brussels. Since the meetings were totally off the record, I can’t reveal who we met but suffice to say these were people from the very top of the EU pyramid. Professor Pei’s message to them: “You don’t realize how much power you have in your relations with China so make sure you exercise it to your full advantage.”
From speaking to senior Chinese civilian and military officials in recent months, I’ve come to understand that Beijing’s strategy toward Europe is very simple: It wants to keep the continent as separate from America as possible and the EU as divided internally as possible. This is the overwhelming imperative of Chinese diplomats in this region and they don’t even try to hide it. I had a fascinating conversation recently in which these diplomats explained that Sino-U.S. relations would be roughly the same after the upcoming U.S. election, no matter who is ensconced in the White House come late January. But in terms of China’s Europe strategy, Trump will be a great boon in driving Europe into China’s arms, given his antipathy toward Germany, the European Union, NATO and free trade.
Speaking of the U.S. election, I voted this week by electronic ballot in Summit County, Colorado, the last place I happened to live in America. Colorado is particularly sophisticated in allowing electronic ballots to be cast online. I understand most states make it much harder for military and overseas voters to have their democratic say. In previous elections, when I’ve had a question or problem I’ve always been charmed by the fact I could call the county clerk in Breckenridge directly and talk it through with them. 
On Thursday, the European Council met to talk about migration, a topic I believe will dominate the next five years of discussion in Brussels. European leaders may use softer rhetoric when they talk about waves of people trying to enter the bloc, but the policies they are proposing are much closer to those of Donald Trump than you might think.
This was the final European Council for the brilliant statesman Charles Michel — a modern-day Talleyrand, Goethe and Jean Monnet all wrapped into one. He will hand over to former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa in early December. I hear dear Charles is trying to get a role at the United Nations. 
We will miss him deeply. Bonne chance. Courage! 
And until next week, bon weekend,
Jamil
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Kamala Harris is warning Polish Americans not to vote for Donald Trump. Many will. 
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Von der Leyen sets new rules for Commission cabinet hires
POLITICO scooped the long-awaited document that every aspiring Eurocrat in town wanted to get their hands on: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s new hiring rules for her incoming commissioners as they form their top teams. Read the story. 
The EU wants to deport migrants. It needs the help of Syria’s Assad. 
In all the coverage of this week’s European Council summit and Europe’s right-ward turn on migration, this story was a standout, revealing the lengths EU leaders may need to go to in order to increase the number of failed asylum-seekers it deports to countries outside of the bloc. The kicker: The plan may hinge on taking Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, whose government is accused of using chemical weapons on its own people, out of the foreign policy deep freeze. Read the story. 
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Woke guns? Banks want weapons badged as a social good
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EU plans cash help for farmers to overcome French resistance to Mercosur deal 
POLITICO continues to own the story on progress toward a long-awaited EU-South American trade deal, with our scoop that the EU plans a special fund to compensate ( … French) farmers who might be impacted by an agreement. Although a senior French diplomat welcomed the plan, the country’s new agriculture minister remains implacably opposed, saying it would be a “cataclysm” for farmers. Watch this space! Read the story. 
EU Confidential: The world is in crisis and the EU is doing … nothing?
This week’s episode of EU Confidential is a show about nothing. As in: Brussels’ endless lame-duck inertia. Host Sarah Wheaton dissects the reasons for the hold-up — and why it matters — with POLITICO’s Barbara Moens and Nick Vinocur, as well as with Aaron McLoughlin, a seasoned Brussels lobbyist with deep experience working in the Parliament and the Commission. Meanwhile, there’s lots happening in the U.S. ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. Earlier this week, POLITICO Live and the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union hosted a debate about what candidates Kamala Harris or Donald Trump could mean for Europe. Finally, our Berlaymont Who’s Who series looks at the unusual political trajectory of Belgium’s commissioner-designate, Hadja Lahbib, and her dual responsibility for crisis management and equality.
Listen to the episode.

Westminster Insider
Westminster Insider is on a break, but our episodes are not time-sensitive: Have a listen to our catalog here or via the links below.

Power Play: Transatlantic allies weigh up Israeli options on Iran
The barrage of Hezbollah rockets, the amassing of Israeli ground forces in Lebanon and the prospect of a retaliatory strike on Iran mark the grim first anniversary of Oct. 7. As Israel considers its options, how much influence do the U.S and its allies have in shaping the response? Host Anne McElvoy talks to two guests with over half a century of top-level diplomacy in the region between them. David Satterfield was until recently the White House special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues and currently leads Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Nicholas Hopton was the U.K.’s ambassador to Iran, Yemen, Qatar and Libya, and is director general of the Middle East Association.
Listen to the episode.

Mrs. von der Leyen, headteacher of a school in special measures. Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
“And that’s where I’m going to hang a floor-to-ceiling portrait of myself.”
 Can you do better? Email [email protected] or on Twitter @pdallisonesque
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 Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.
“Welcome to Season 2 of ‘The Bachelorette: EU edition.’” by POLITICO’s own Sanya Khetani-Shah.
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