Imagine trying to craft the perfect bogeyman(妖怪，吓唬人的东西) to haunt the European imagination. This dreamt-up foe would be a very large country, perhaps adhering to the same communist ideology that for decades shackled(束缚，禁锢) Eastern Europe. Such an imaginary nemesis would have harnessed the heft of its state-planned economy to export the exact same products that once enriched Europe, such as cars—yet make them better and cheaper.(这个假想中的对手会动用其计划经济的分量，出口那些曾让欧洲富起来的同类产品——比如汽车——却做得更好、更便宜。) To be a convincing geopolitical menace this antagonist(对手，反派) would have supported Russia as it assailed(攻击，袭击) Ukraine, and could thus be held indirectly responsible for the security crisis that afflicts the continent. To top it all off(最绝的是，更有甚者), it might be blamed for having spawned(产生，催生), in still-unclear circumstances, a virus that just a few years ago kept Europeans indoors for months on end(连续数月).
想象一下，要塑造一个完美的“妖怪”来萦绕欧洲人的想象，该怎么做。这个凭空捏造的敌人会是一个幅员辽阔的国家，或许还信奉着几十年前曾束缚东欧的那种共产主义意识形态。这个假想中的对手会动用其计划经济的分量，出口那些曾让欧洲富起来的同类产品——比如汽车——却做得更好、更便宜。要想成为令人信服的地缘政治威胁，这个反派还得在俄罗斯攻打乌克兰时支持俄罗斯，从而被间接认定为欧洲大陆安全危机的责任方。最绝的是，它还可能被指责在至今不明的情况下，制造出一种几年前让欧洲人一连数月闭门不出的病毒。
For a populist politician, the rhetoric(说辞，花言巧语) with which to blast(猛烈抨击) such a foe, and the useless globalist politicians letting ’em get away with it, ought to write itself. And yet. Populists adept at finding a foreign (or migrant) culprit(罪魁祸首) behind almost every grievance(不满，怨愤) have somehow developed a blind spot(盲区，视而不见之处) the size of China. Whether on the left or the right, Europe’s firebrands(煽动家，激进分子) are oddly unwilling to cast Beijing as the villain of the piece. The Alternative for Germany (AfD)(德国选择党，德国右翼民粹政党) thinks China is so fantastic it wants Germany to take part in its “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative. In Hungary the Fidesz party of Viktor Orban(匈牙利青民盟，欧尔班领导的右翼民粹政党), which got its start bashing commies of the Soviet ilk, became cheerleaders for their Chinese comrades. On the left, Unsubmissive France(不屈法国，法国左翼民粹政党) has warned against European “meddling”, should China one day invade Taiwan.
对民粹政客来说，抨击这样一个敌人、痛骂那些放任其逍遥法外的无用全球主义者，这套说辞本该信手拈来。然而并没有。那些擅长在几乎每一桩不满背后找出外国（或移民）罪魁祸首的民粹主义者，却不知怎么对中国视而不见。无论左右，欧洲的煽动家们都奇怪地不愿把北京塑造成故事里的反派。德国选择党认为中国好得不得了，希望德国加入其“一带一路”基础设施倡议。匈牙利欧尔班领导的青民盟，起家时靠的是痛骂苏联式共产党，如今却成了中国同志的啦啦队。左翼方面，不屈法国警告欧洲不要“多管闲事”，万一中国哪天入侵台湾。
Such complaisance(顺从，讨好) is all the more surprising given that vilifying(诋毁，抹黑) Beijing once did political wonders for another demagogue(煽动家，蛊惑人心的政客). During his first term as president, Donald Trump droned on(喋喋不休地说) about China “ripping off(占便宜，敲竹杠)” America, before berating(严厉斥责) it for the “Kung flu(“功夫流感”，对新冠的种族主义称呼)” covid virus. The same economic forces that Mr Trump played on—large trade imbalances caused by cheap Chinese exports, and the resulting losses of American jobs—are now slamming into Europe.(特朗普当年利用的那些经济力量——中国廉价出口造成的巨额贸易失衡，以及由此导致的美国就业流失——如今正猛烈冲击欧洲。) Vast subsidies to China’s industrial champions have caused a gaping(巨大的，张开的) goods-trade deficit of €1bn ($1.15bn) a day in favour of China, and been blamed for factory closures in Europe’s industrial heartlands, particularly Germany. Once a customer for European wares, soaking up its cars and chemicals, China has become a purveyor(供应者，供应商) of them, including to Europe itself. It has even threatened to cut off the supply of critical minerals or microchips vital to keep European factories ticking(维持欧洲工厂运转).
这种顺从格外令人意外，因为抹黑北京曾给另一位煽动家带来过政治奇迹。特朗普在首个总统任期内喋喋不休地指责中国“占美国便宜”，随后又因“功夫流感”新冠痛骂中国。特朗普当年利用的那些经济力量——中国廉价出口造成的巨额贸易失衡，以及由此导致的美国就业流失——如今正猛烈冲击欧洲。对中国工业龙头企业的巨额补贴，已造成每天 10 亿欧元（11.5 亿美元）的对华货物贸易逆差，并被归咎为欧洲工业腹地、尤其是德国工厂倒闭的原因。中国曾是欧洲商品的客户，大量吸纳欧洲的汽车和化工产品，如今却成了这些产品的供应方，甚至供应到欧洲本土。它甚至威胁要切断对欧洲工厂运转至关重要的关键矿产或微芯片供应。
It’s panda-monium!
真是“熊猫大乱”！（panda-monium 谐音 pandemonium，意为“一片混乱”）