Originally Posted by
Asturias56
" a competent national leadership should focus on the new challenges posed by China "
the problem is that China is a very long way away from Europe. I , personally, don't think that Russia is planning a major action in Europe but they would be happy to retake Belarus and Ukraine and those pesky Balts if the chance was there (not all at once - just as & when the opportunity occurs).
China isn't a direct threat and never can be a direct threat - they can take Taiwan and cause all sorts of problems in the S China Sea but to 99% of Europeans that's not a real threat
China is eating Europe's lunch, gradually displacing local production with cheaper Chinese alternatives.
Afaik, the opium wars started for that same reason, the trade balance got so bad it was cheaper to have a war to even things up.
Leadership is supposed to consider the future, rather than to revisit the past. Maybe we need younger leaders for that reason?