The assessment of Europe’s state of affairs could have hardly been harsher: “If you look at the troubles which happened in European countries, this is purely because of the accumulated troubles of their worn out welfare societies. I think the labour laws are outdated – the labour laws induce sloth, indolence rather than hard working. The incentive system is totally out of whack.”
If you believe this attack on Europe had come out of a right-wing think tank, an investment bank or a credit ratings agency you could not be more wrong. These are the words of Jin Liqun, chairman of the supervisory board of the China Investment Corporation, the sovereign wealth fund of the People’s Republic. They do not just highlight doubts about a Chinese engagement in the leveraging of Europe’s EFSF rescue fund. They also mark the end of the European social model.