Dutch PM: U.S. relations have “irreversibly” changed; Trump asks China to join ICC fight
The relationship between the Netherlands and Europe and the United States has changed “irreversibly,” Prime Minister Rob Jetten told ANP after giving a speech on his Cabinet’s foreign policy at the NextGen security conference in The Hague. This happened amid reports that U.S. president Donald Trump has proposed to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that they team up with Russia to fight the International Criminal Court (ICC).
If the rumours are true, the Netherlands and Europe must be “much more outspoken” about the threat against the court and do everything possible to protect it. If the U.S., China, and Russia team up against the ICC, “that would strike at the foundation of the international legal order, which is so crucial at this moment.”
In his speech at the security conference, Jetten also emphasized that the Netherlands and Europe need to be more self-reliant and take more responsibility for their own security. “For far too long, Europe has clung to the naïve notion that we can shelter under the US security umbrella forever, at little cost,” he said. “We need to boost European defence cooperation to ensure we can defend our own continent. We must do so not to distance ourselves from the US, but to make the alliance more equal. And, as a result, stronger.”
In this new geopolitical era, it is essential to build new coalitions, Jetten said, stressing that this will mean being more pragmatic and less self-centered when dealing with countries in the Global South, which have often felt disregarded and bypassed by Europe. “If we want to strengthen our economies by reducing our dependency on major players and boosting cooperation with other countries, we need to consider not only what we stand to gain, but also what we have to offer. And that’s a lot.”
“Because, if we worry that countries in the Global South are turning towards China and Russia, then we also need to look at our own role in that process. For too long, other perspectives have not been recognised,” Jetten said. “It’s time for us to acknowledge this and take action. So that the rule of law works for everyone, and we strengthen not only ourselves, but each other.”
