Viral posts distort Kaja Kallas’ remarks on China and Russia

By Tamsin Paternoster & Noa Schumann Published on 26/05/2026 - 12:40 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp

Online posts have taken Kallas’ comments on China out of context.

Posts and headlines circulating online have accused EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas of calling China a “cancer” and making warmongering remarks about Russia and Beijing.

ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT

One widely shared post claimed that Kallas “just described China as a ‘disease’, specifically ‘cancer’”, whilst a headline from Brussels Signal read, “EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas calls China a ‘cancer'.”

Separate posts on X, one with millions of views, also attributed the quote “If Europe cannot defeat Russia, how then are we supposed to defeat China?” to the EU’s top diplomat.

But a closer examination of Kallas’ remarks shows that, while the comments could be considered controversial, some online users presented them sensationalised and out of context.

The first comment was made by Kallas on 17 May during the Lennart Meri Conference held in Estonia. The wide-ranging conversation looked at Europe’s response to China’s growing economic influence, industrial competition and trade practices.

During the exchange, the moderator argued that China was increasingly dominating industries, ranging from batteries and electric vehicles to industrial goods. He added he had not yet seen a "coherent European response to the China challenge."

Kallas replied that countries around the world were increasingly concerned about what she described as China's "coercive economic practices", before turning to a medical metaphor to refer to Europe's response.

“We have a very clear understanding of the diagnosis of the disease, but we don’t have agreement on the cure,” Kallas said.

She continued: “If you have a very, very difficult disease, like you have cancer, then you have two choices — either you increase the morphine or you start chemotherapy.”

Kallas later explained that “morphine” referred to subsidies helping European companies compete against Chinese imports, while “chemotherapy” referred to tougher EU measures that could trigger retaliation from Beijing.

So while critics interpreted the remarks as Kallas portraying China itself as the disease, the bloc’s foreign policy chief did not literally call China a “cancer”, with her comments forming part of a wider discussion about how Europe should respond to Chinese trade pressure and economic competition.

The moderator at the event, associate editor at the Financial Times, Edward Luce, later posted on X that the posts were a “bad misrepresentation of her analogy.”

The Commission welcomed the moderator’s clarification, while noting the importance of maintaining open dialogue with China to effectively address the mounting economic challenges.

Kallas accused of ‘warmongering’

In separate viral posts, social media users also accused Kallas of “warmongering” by attributing the quote: “If Europe cannot defeat Russia, how then are we supposed to defeat China?” to her.

But a closer inspection of what Kallas said shows she did not use these words.

The comments are actually from a discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute on 27 February 2025, where Kallas discussed transatlantic relationships and the need for Europe to meet current geopolitical challenges with the institute's senior fellow, Peter Rough.

The full clip of the discussion shows Kallas argued that failing to effectively pressure Russia over its war in Ukraine could weaken Western credibility when signalling support to "Asian counterparts" in the event of a conflict involving China.

“China is so much bigger economy than Russia is with so much bigger military than Russia is. So if you’re saying that we collectively are not able to really pressure Russia so much that it would have an effect, then how do you say that you’re able to take on China risk?" Kallas said in the outdated clip presented as new footage.

The viral wording circulating online is not a direct quote from Kallas, but a shortened paraphrase of Kallas’ wider argument about Europe's deterrence credibility.

Extracts from the discussion have repeatedly surfaced on X presented as recent footage, without the wider context.

The online backlash against Kallas comes at a critical time for the EU’s relationship with China.

European industries are currently dependent on China, particularly for critical raw materials necessary for defence and the region's green energy transition, sectors in which Beijing dominates supply chains.

Brussels has followed a policy of de-risking towards Beijing: aiming to reduce over-dependence on Chinese supply chains to protect itself from geopolitical vulnerabilities, without severing economic ties and communication completely.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Commissioners are set to discuss on Friday a range of tools the bloc could use to protect European industries from the impact of low-cost Chinese imports, amid growing trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing.

In recent weeks, China has threatened retaliation over EU laws that limit Chinese companies' access to the single market.

Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments

Read more

Orbán-style vetoes undermine EU democracy, Kaja Kallas tells Euronews hoping for reset

Kallas tells Euronews Moscow must be forced to make real concessions as Brussels mulls special envoy

Europe Today: Exclusive interview with Kaja Kallas, EU foreign affairs chief

• Kaja Kallas
• China
• TheCube
• EU-China