it's crunch time the european elections are just around the corner of the giving in each and you might ask a simple why should i care for the european market is one of the biggest in the wants of everyone and be back needs to catch up so watch our special show you elections why they matter to asia. nervous of the superstructure it will actions why they matter to asia. europe after the end of the first world war. there are more than two million stateless refugees. fleeing one document to start a new life. it's their last hope. for . peace sixty minutes w. . every journey begins with the first step and every language with the first word

published in the could. be kobe's in germany to learn german why not with them simple online on your mobile and free something from the w z e learning course nikos fi german made easy. welcome to crunch time the european elections are just around the corner i know we've almost forgotten about them because of bragg's that but now they are back with a vengeance and you might have recognized the place we are sitting here this is of course the seat of the european parliament in strasbourg and this is the last plenary session in this set up before the election so it's time to discuss the new elections and why they matter to asia now if you think someone is here you might ask why should i care about the european elections. well there is one of the

biggest markets in the what and indeed times of globalization everyone everywhere ok we're going to discuss that with a great panel so stick with us and stick with our guests on my left for example. who is a member of the european greens and an expert. and she says the guiding light for good governance in the region needs to be universal human rights and on my right we have professor dr. king is from the center for global studies in boston and europe and asia needs each other to overcome these times of uncertainty on the road over there the youngest member of the european parliament so it's his future we're also talking about here it's of course ralph and he is from the e.u. so your group the european conservatives and reformists and he says calling the asian economies suddenly systemic rivals and competitors is going to fall

also with us is mr good you think he's india's former ambassador to germany and he says europe is not. a discussion in asia. least where is he how would show some member of the european left of a member of the e.u. china delegation he says asia and europe need to be the closest possible partners to overcome the global problems now talking about problems and max every time i talk about europe and asia people say to me you mean china what many people here is you know is the not in this china so let's talk china. china is big china a sponsor china is behind change. the nation is striving for power to become the technology of the world.

second road initiative it's twenty first century silk thread it's been called by the rich chinese martial plan dates back to campaign for global dominance but does the trade go the way. we cannot let mutual suspicion so we all get the better of us from. your once trade but. this has to lead to a reciprocity that we are still struggling to achieve using in the months from now . european industries are increasingly falling under chinese control. or the result of european enterprises need to get the same degree of access to the market as the chinese get in europe the last two films. china is a global player when it comes to digital infrastructure europeans have long been

familiar with the dominance of chinese giants like who away. is joining us spying on europe. none of us is naïve. the new china relations facing new challenges time and even. on. their honeymoon are hardball and you said you were looking for the closest possible relationship right here or should we disregard the spying of china should we disregard the human rights situation and just go for a very close partnership close partnership includes human rights i thought i would say but this includes also. concentrating on the question how we can't operate and that means that we have to focus on this whole slew issues on the economic issues on issues of human rights but of course also on the mental issues and. that at least in the past when it comes to the human rights a choice. and so that really affected it is an effect of the question as it is

maybe not enough effective but it is going into the right direction and here i see really a development in the by little relationship and we have to continue to strengthen also the attention on the human rights now. he was just come up with a very tough policy towards china recently score china and make a rival and with alternative forms of governance you feel that going too far why well i wouldn't always call this assertive because some powers in europe really have an admiration for the chinese state system i wouldn't go that far but i also don't want to be naive so i really want to point out that there are real challenges regarding china i really need to break up this public forum and markets china need to respect copyrights and to stop forcing this technology transfer that european companies face in europe those are challenges but those challenges don't

mean that we need to turn away from global cooperation that we need to start closing or so as to work towards the open markets because the openness and the freedom of markets that europe always showed in the past is exactly what makes your great and we should maintain this openness towards all partners in the future would you say would you agree with saying the wrong term systemic rivals well i think also what you said at the entrance that china and europe we have to work together in multilateral force i like the united nations because we have a high risk time yes base our common policies on the rule of law and the rules based order and i think china could do much more now china is expanding in the united nations feels a lot of when the u.s. pulled out but i think there's a lack of condition. also on human rights protection and i think now we have five

member states in the security council two permanent three nonpermanent and still china should be more cooperative for example to refer severe human rights cases like in myanmar the case of the international criminal court or the human rights council itself to find opportunities to work together do you agree with the term systemic rivals are we wives or are we partners well i think we are partners i think the term is i don't agree with what terminology rival is very limited to being a rival on the economic market i see the european union also as a political entity and they are we should refine our hurting and seek opportunities to work together by all at the same time critiquing where we have different for example different values. professor who. says that his rivals at an economic sense with china but would you argue that china is also has political

aspirations of dominance through its various projects within the playing divide and rule within the e.u. through projects like the belgian good initiative. there was a lot of misunderstanding about the chinese. you need if you. really consider the situation for me the chinese. new. indeed a december strategy towards united states could use a reaction to the american people to egypt so the chinese government didn't want you to go directly into front confrontation too nice a deal are you going to distract you to go. to dinner and turned to the european countries which started here. the first one. is it to find

a new way to create a new market for china's economy. to avoid a direct confrontation. at the last one is to find a way to give chinese societies a new possibility to give each area which is a totally separated from globalization new chance. you're calling you could development but this project is somehow missed really and misunderstand you from what. do you feel like the project is misunderstood because i understand india is not participating at all indeed categorically refusing to participate because they have a completely different understanding of one belt one road that leads us to understand things and i think the terminology to make right is a good one i think you out of stocks need to stop trying to now be pamby china they need to come up upfront and stand up for what they believe in you can't have

economic leading you by the nose so that all your values are surrendered you have to emphasize human values beyond human rights which of the you why you. don't vote because we believe or is not looking out for other countries interests political strategic and economic and we do not want the world to become kind of a stimulus package for the chinese economy. and which also he's talking about ambassador thing is saying one should not namby pamby china that the e.u. has come up with its own asia or europe connectivity package do you think that is europe's. or ball of the one belt one good initiative i would say that is. but here we have to find channels to to combine these different plans etc because i would not agree totally with you. but i would say that this rivalry understanding

is just being more than only economic rivals it is a way of how we are treating each other and that is a term from the cold war times and that means we are competing each other not. to break the other one economically politically etc that i think is leading if you are looking into the global challenge into the wrong direction if for example one point four billion people in china want to live their way of. living or one point three million a billion in india and one more billion and other asian countries so what does it mean for resources what does it mean for the production what does it mean for the climate so here i think we have really obligation to find channels to cooperate and i would welcome that in europe participating in these different plans and we'll talk about that more later about india's india's role in that but i think it's safe

to say that of course china is much more involved nowadays in europe not only on the fringes but in the european union as well that it was in the past we prepared to tweet from that because greece obviously is one of the countries where there was a lot of investment chinese investment in the last years and this tweet is from alexis tsipras the greek prime minister i think we have that and it says meeting with the chinese president xi jinping is a bridge between east and west china and the e.u. now this. is a couple of years old but it is well it's more relevant than ever it seems and wouldn't you say professor that some people in europe could feel threatened by chinese activity as of late i think of the definitive perception of the chinese regime is understandable. because of two reasons the first one is we have people living in. european countries have no experience with

a country which is on the floor of the communist party with tremendous new power going into the condiment new. normally the second one is misunderstanding because while you could chinese do you do you have the feeling we just come to you. only with a computer with a new projector to work with you to good why are you reaction negative what is our. christian discussion in china do you also term travel with. few of china to project. huge demand for b. the bridge connecting both sides going to china for. you calling you project no to. be sheens. really do you agree with that because there is

a lot of concern in the about china's influence not just within europe but the eastern europe we have the sixteen point one initiative greece has now joined the sixty one initiative is now seventeen plus one did in fact europe all these countries in the into the arms of the chinese because they put. on countries like greece not giving them money was a member sell the assets to willing buyers like china well i would. agree with you on one point i think china. openly used its influence and its economic ties for example with greece and conditioned it two years ago and because you depend on our economic aid or support you have not to vote to critique china in the human rights council and this kind of policy is very rational that the european side critique this because the european union can be on. strong

multilateral fota if we speak with one voice and this was a clear take to split and i think this china should seek different forms to engage and to work together by strengthening and not weakening the right. if i may we shouldn't be scared of our own shadow europe is the biggest global economy we are the biggest trading block of the world we are the biggest export partner of china and we should respect ourselves with this position this is the only bit to be more assertive to sit around the table with china and i'm not scared of these investments in the in the balkans one because recent projects have clearly shown that china fails to deliver a lot of time in romania with the power plants in montenegro road building so this country also understand that china has major difficulties. applying the european rules regarding procurement better and it just have example with the

knowledge you transfer in the last two years you know what we see for example with the project in montenegro with the roads that really made the complexity of the local regions and i think this type of collaboration will never replace european union but it can work complimentary in certain cases but we should really look and respect our own our own position on a global level and not be scared of our own shadow and one of the big concerns here is that when china is investing some of these eastern europe in both the investing in critical infrastructure and in countries which have actually limited financial resources creating what debt traps these countries then have a certain dependency on china which wiley's this is exactly where we need a really assertive policy and we are doing that we recently made the foreign direct investment screen system where the european union provides a framework where member states can really screen for an. first months and this

will temper china's china's eagerness to to invest in such a dick sectors so this really shows that we can play on this same equal level field and if we play in this global position then we can work together with china from a europe's point of of perspective shape the world in a grow ball trading system with fair rules and open trade i think what i call the namby pamby approach i mean you see you really can't be serious on the back it says china is not following global rules china is taking advantage of the weakness of current globalization and stepping in with the other worsham of globalization i don't think they are what are you about european investment growth they are about it not even so much about the deck to create this are trying to export the are we out of economic trouble you know the domestic chinese they're trying to export to different parts of the world so this is what dangerous to us we had essentially

wanted to say something that they really. do believe that the chinese government. certainly china has a lot of things to improve certainly. with the government of the chinese people especially deprive a company you do go out to two european countries they do try to play with the game with the rules of the w.t. or the majority to say so the certain point i want to make please respect respect to the. decision power of the you can countries and the companies people doing business with china we cannot afford to underestimate the conscious decision made by different european countries. eastern european countries zubrin decision you don't mind they're ok but you there's no reason for you. to criticize him for them to cooperate with china because.

they are two man and the government they do have the interest and they do exactly know what to do i do it and they did do to the chinese under our plane after the global rule of law so i believe we have to separate our own appealing and it in reality happened in the reality how much you want to add something to that i wanted some of the problems here just discussing of who made if you can unit you are carrying out for decades already know it is a story of the policy cutting down and saving etc so then the countries have no chance to invest to find money for the development of their own economies so and then i would not fear that investment coming from china or from india or from the united states or somewhere it's also our only source and that not only be private.

private capital it must be also the states who are obliged to develop their own economies and here is saying we have. to change the agenda so if you really want to do you go to social and. environmental challenges we have to invest together and i would stop the thinking and one against the other and move you have a common obligation and here i think really that we should develop a new strategy in a global understanding and and to interfere into the way of how the economic systems and structures are functioning so we've talked a lot about how europeans feel about chinese investment about the chinese role in the european union because we have the e.u. elections just around the corner i would like to know from good to people in your country know it all that there are you will actions absolutely maybe even then what are their expectations. different a trillion dollar european question. that's been your question in chinese the

discourse political and economy is good because because of the two reasons the first one is as you just mentioned your pin you were in one of the big still single market the chinese. social life jobs somehow depend on the. economy the situation you've been contradicted and the point much more important because the majority of the chinese think tanks and destroyed it did believe. we need a stronger prosper when steve brewer european union. harrop. every other part of that for example was awash and towards washington so they do believe we have to do every scene to keep their religion to remain country. stable so do i have do have an interest to see how your opinion parliaments work is period a lot of people are very worried about priest because they believe if to you or to

britain move out of you can do which is to be the bigger german chancellor and america and to deal with it future economy comparable cooperation and china will be the. pattern or in terms of the fire to refer to remain in of a multinational song they do have an interest to look at the start of the european elections. mr beaver you've been on the continent a lot. do you do you bring those two things together sometimes the elections and the this region you know so much about you so interested in well of course you see the asean countries they look carefully how the european union is developing connectivity and to work together and so they don't understand sometimes and they're disappointed that we destroy the european union from itself because their

gains by working together are obvious and that is why i feel so so and i also think when they look for example asean countries to china and the influence in the region it is again that there is no i wouldn't say hostility but still demanding from china please strengthen our rules based on what are like the conflict real severe conflict in the south china sea where. conflict could develop then learning could how what is the european position but also referring to the court's decision actually that china should also accept a legal decision not to go for being a dummy variable or topic obviously the just let me get back to that one point where do you feel you will actions really matter in the region on what topic. well i think if you see in the building up of. the european elections all those parties

will have a clear racist policy against migrants and foreignness not so much against asians but if they would come also against asians this war is them because our in the center of the european union is also that we are kind of value driven that a human being has its dignity and should not be violated if i look mean in this probably is an understanding of that in the euro. unions such extreme right wing skin gain so much this is very worrisome. is it when you talk about human rights and about protecting rights of people and the wiggers in china the muslim minority that people often say they plan to double standards if they have an economic interest in a country suddenly human rights don't matter like for example in china this sometimes it's not often but in a country like me and mark where there's not much economics you suddenly they jump on a human rights issue would you agree with that no i disagree and also i hear different

voices from asia it depends if you listen to government voices civil society and human rights organizations which there are plenty of in that region i think the e.u. is too soft when they talk with china for example last week we had a summit not magically not micro not more greeny said this thing in a critique and there are many human rights violations and i think this is the critique we should give union i think it's not only because of if there's an. economic interest. because also in myanmar there's a lot of economic interest by the european union to this market but the size of the violations was. huge professor who i have good news for you because after the criticism you had from the towards china you will be able to take it back in

a second because as we can see china is a difficult topic also because of the human rights situation we won't have complete agreement here but there is an alternative maybe in asia which is india india is a big democracy india to become the most populous country overtake china but you know what am i talking about let's just watch this movie. india the world's biggest democracy and first destroying large economy the country is thriving and matching as a global player british folk local challenges. the e.u. is india's frustrating part but they both went deeper cooperation in she areas. museums were faced with the same global challenges. such as the climate renewable energy and security. democratic india is closer illicitly to the e.u. in china it would seem natural positives but the relationship hasn't taken off line

. it's time for free trade agreements between. european union. the conditions are right and the only ones to conditions are right . the e.u. and india are both strong supporters of the global order based on multilateralism and shared values in this know how is promising but easier in the relations of them tapping their full potential what secret ingredient is missing to help take this relationship to the next level. and that is the question i'm going to put to you and that's a good thing watch secret ingredient is missing to bring europe and india into a level of partnership that would become in zero eight with their natural proclivity is what i did not receive not a honeymoon couple of the more india and your level but to be young and they are middle aged couple we need to adapt ourselves to

a long battery life and we need to see how our grandchildren are going to inherit this therefore i think your group needs to pick up and stop looking at small important but small single minded activities and look at the broad swath of a partnership with india for instance. treat with nothing without in this moment doing nothing but you have held up the india you bilateral trade agreement for years on frankly in an italian marines i mean there will not be countries who do so we need a much bigger approach. also that this should be some new spock's how about an educational partnership how about a scientific and technological partnership how about a partnership where we bring change to the world and gives people the common values that we must look at beyond security and treat sound sensible with the packers and

i have a different approach because i think where the partnership really holds is a lack of ambition on india's right we already negotiating about the free trade agreements with india for almost more than ten years and it's india who fails to deliver commitments to open its markets to show commitments regarding sustainable development and labor policies this is not from europe sites we want to invest we want to go there but now you see them go back into this new flagship from india made in india program and i think that if we would. be able to attract european assessments into india that it would be a benefit for a beneficiary for both sides investment for europe could bring economic engine growth could be job creation in india so this would actually be in this program of made in india but the lack of ambition mission is not from europe but in india that we should think you has come up with a new strategy for india do you share. that pockets is that.

this position is also understands the best of them because i think to some both positions so of course in india there must be also the chance for india to get the development on its own if you are looking for food and food guaranteeing for everybody in such a continent as india then of course they have the right to look their origin and national approach to do this for the other hand i would say we have to look into developing the mighty little trading system instead of only looking into bilateral agreements with china we are just negotiating already also for six years investment protection agreement which is a huge agreement and we have you mean you should include traitor sustainable development ship that must be also realized in such a free trade agreement with india but that means you have to understand what are

the rules what are the standards for that and this we have to develop within the beauty was system because the w.t. who is changing its its nature today and in the twenty first century and the second or third decade already so we have climate social issues human rights political stability to be also benchmarks for shaping his tweet because traitors today about production and consumption but already there is trouble as you mention a better with some alcoholic beverages i believe it was also whiskey because of because of the united kingdom that. easier. if you have some concrete requests that you would like to form a way towards india what's that well as i see it i think india has very good structures and laws on human rights constitution and so on the biggest problem is in the implementation in the huge disparity between rich and many many very poor

and how to overcome this and i think when ever european union is planning and going further to do a free trade agreement they have to do a human rights impact assessment first because i remember when i think it was also when he traveled to india actually he traveled to china and stopped and he made a public press conference and said over to free trade agreement now all the initiatives dealing with for example the right to health they looked into what would this mean if european companies produce expensive pharmaceutical medicine on hiv we in india then the market for those indian companies who produce it cheaper is lost and then what about the poor people so all these issues i think i would have nothing with do you feel more comfortable with india as a trading partner of the you than with china where that is a question i cannot answer because i think it's a wrong question because i think look if what is best for the people in the

respective countries or region and trade is not perceived threat or good. i would say that in china the problem is that the government does not tolerate critique yeah and is very strong and strict against minorities this week we will have risen lucian on the weaker situation again in india and both countries i have to say that enormous progress in fighting poverty which is the essential number one about the. in india it is more easier because the government seems a little bit more relaxed with the critique but the biggest problem is in the implementation i think that's also the main issue which drives elections in fact you know the us been talking for a long time about building closer relations with india a strategic partnership which they already have talked about turning common principles into common interest in fact let me just read out

a quote from this was he wrote him back in two thousand and seventeen i'm more convinced than ever that india and the e.u. become. the kinds of democracy and tolerance and must see the worst together in the new policy a strategy statement which has come out of the e.u. this talk about the e.u. welcoming multi-polar professor go how do you feel about this concept of a multi-polar because the other has no rival india in the region in asia and china would do her a multi. structure construction in terms of security or. development. to india china japan another country do they are very you know. independent so european countries are talking about structure partnership for what

i think for european countries maybe the idea is to create a new venue a community against the possible return. correlation between russia and china maybe this is going to go into the structure of partnership to india to move to reform the country move in direction of. me so i have to feel any. expectation of brass or of of. friends wars. seems to be true too quick. don't forget india has. the reform twenty years later in china about ninety at the beginning of ninety that means there is a lot of a bureaucratic. almost. to be removed and there is the water wheel

while the implication while the implementation has gone very very slow so you know really i do believe you can petition of european country as a totally post-modern country towards india and china correct to rise there by. the attendance of most of the patients you know we need more time we need more time in european given for china and also for india so there is the gap between the two levers of development where africa do you believe that the exit could be that. would work in favor of you having to the times within certainly not because the u.k. was always a big partner and that was always in favor of free markets open markets and this is a partner we might lose so this will have a big impact and the european union need to be way more assertive towards these trading partners but something that is often left out of this debate is that

a strong global position actually starts which are all which our own internal the size of an s. and if we sit across the table with trading partners and they see that we in europe we have huge internal debts that we have a very weak immigration policy that we always hesitate to face or terror threats we need to show the world that we can face or own challenges we need to show that we can handle our own threats and this is how we can be a strong partner on the global level and also gain more respect. maybe with a little heavier a little addition here because what you just mentioned of course is important how does india feel about let's say the threat of more. more and more right wing populus coming into the european parliament with the upcoming elections does that play a role i think you must pardon me on that india's believe in this on election and the same day by the way twenty thirty say not right now i don't think we are to thinking too much of other people's elections but all elections are important

because you get you collusion of the human mind and more free the human mind the better the articulation so yes the results of the european elections will help us to form what he calls two words the european union but don't expect india to give all the gains of the w two you are slow movement into the climate change support into becoming support of the globalisation at the threshold of an agreement with the european union we're just not going to do it we need your help to protect those gains not use them now i think he needs them back it makes an interesting point i think india and europe need to work together on security cooperation in dealing with nontraditional traits they have done it in piracy we need to do more on terrorism we need to do it on illegal migration we need to do don't drugs and we need to do it on cyber security and on money laundering these are the real treat

you know here borders don't matter here we just need european understanding on the ground operation i think this year i have seen much more positive european reaction of the many members in the security council that you mentioned in support of these ventures you're talking about security ahead michel shows in the news that you from the e.u. they want to have closer defense ties with india this talk about joint military exercises there's talk about having a military envoy in india and vice versa do you think europe needs to be a little more assertive in terms of how to security. no i fully disagree with this position because this is just misleading so if you put it above the law she said that we should judge also the human rights situation from the perspective of citizens and not only from the functioning of the state of the

system and i think if you're speaking about security issues that we have to first of all to deal with the social equal chances for everybody in our society because it is the fear of going into poverty which is one of the stimulus for the right populist parties here in the you can union. can only be taken if you are developing economies or societies opening of chances for everybody also for women which is alone and taking care of both her child or the man who is doing the same issue so i mean this is a problem and you will be seeing you have to organize a cooperation between india and you can union between china and the opinion or taking other countries of the asian continent for trying to interfere with japan we agreed to include the quite progress of the data protection regulations and laws of

the union as a benchmark also for the by a little cooperation in the three suspects and i think this could be also an example for the cooperation of china if you're dealing with investment economics we've had some fascinating insights to love would not be want to have maxim fun and games yes i hope it's fun for everybody so you only get to answer with one word for the following i think we have two questions the first one is what are you looking for in the outcome of the e.u. elections which part of the e.u. elections are you really looking at the best support to globalization. respect the rule of law. democratization reinforcement of martin a recent safety and competitiveness ok had much of the bills that grow because he was the only one who gave a one would have a second question to you finish the sentence europe and asia. in global cooperation. need a child or two or a prom different a complicated heater a common future time nice to have an equal living play

a field. need to support each other hounded had a hand in hand thank you very much fascinating things great to have all if you on this why green thing discussion about election then why they should matter to asia thank you very much and what if you wherever you might be listening to max so fun and me thank you very much for your company it was great to have you with us and of course stick around in the next months or weeks actually because like i said in the beginning the e.u. will actions are just around the corner and we hope to see you there on t.w. when we cover this important event for the european union.

after the end of the first. or more the. us refugee. i want to talk to the start of my. sister last talk. more. detail. what secrets behind these may. find. of experience and explain as an aging cultural heritage sites. w world heritage sixty fifteen. like yourself.

a dangerous. floods and droughts climate change become the main driver of mass migration you can the right any apocalyptic scenarios you want and probably most of them don't come to. the climate starts fearful thirtieth on t.w. . the fact that. the u.s. justice department has released the long anticipated munna reports which examines a legit russian interference in the twenty sixteen u.s. presidential election it concluded there was insufficient evidence that president trump's campaign colluded with moscow but did not clear trump of having illegally obstructed the probe.