In a move that many feel epitomizes everything wrong with the EU’s globalist class, former European Council President Charles Michel has quietly taken up a prestigious post at a CCP-linked Chinese business school, just months after stepping down from one of the EU’s top leadership roles.
The appointment, which few in European media have reported on thus far, has sparked outrage among critics who view it as the latest example of Brussels selling out European sovereignty to hostile foreign powers.
Michel was named “Distinguished Professor” at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), an elite institution co-funded by the Chinese government and, incredibly, the EU itself.
CEIBS, which operates campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, and Zurich, has openly praised Michel for his “balanced” diplomacy and his efforts to “strengthen dialogue with China.” In reality, this is little more than ideological laundering for a man who repeatedly bent the knee to Beijing while in office.
The Chinese school lavished praise on Michel’s record, calling him “esteemed” and touting his supposed achievements in economic reform and international cooperation. This isn’t about education or diplomacy, however. It’s about influence, access, and Beijing rewarding those in Brussels who have quietly done its bidding.
The scandal deepens when considering how Michel landed the role. Unlike former EU Commissioners, the former Council President faced no official “cooling-off” period. Instead, he only needed to notify his replacement—António Costa—who rubber-stamped the job without consulting the rest of the Council. No debate. No scrutiny. No problem, apparently.
Michel is hardly the first Eurocrat to sell his services to Chinese institutions after a cushy career in Brussels. CEIBS has already hired a rogue’s gallery of former EU elites, including José Manuel Barroso, Herman Van Rompuy, and Pascal Lamy. These are the same globalist architects who hollowed out Europe’s industries, flooded it with cheap imports, and outsourced decision-making to foreign bureaucrats.
Hungarian MEP Miriam Lexmann didn’t pull any punches when discussing Michel’s new role, blasting him for his longstanding deference to the Chinese Communist Party. “As European Commission President, Charles Michel was always only too happy to accommodate the CCP—so hardly a surprise that his first gig is with CEIBS. I’m curious when offers will also start rolling in from Baku.
She later warned that EU leaders must stop deluding themselves: “The Chinese are not sharing, they are devouring.”
As EUCO President, Charles Michel was always only too happy to accommodate the CCP – so hardly a surprise that his first gig is with CEIBS.
I’m curious when offers will also start rolling in from Baku
Source: Euractiv pic.twitter.com/mNyzMAbzRY
— Miriam M. Lexmann (@MiriamMLex) May 14, 2025
On China European leaders need to stop thinking that they can have the cake and eat it.
The Chinese are not sharing, they are devouring it.
— Miriam M. Lexmann (@MiriamMLex) May 14, 2025
During a visit to Shanghai this May, Michel didn’t hold back on singing Beijing’s tune. He declared that a trade war “is not the right option,” and praised “deeper cooperation” on issues like climate change and internet governance.
He also promoted reforms to the World Trade Organization and floated the idea of the European Investment Bank funneling money into “strategic sectors” like digital infrastructure—a move that would conveniently align with China’s own industrial strategy.
Michel even framed universities like CEIBS as “bridges between continents,” insisting that “sincere and effective international cooperation” can solve the world’s biggest challenges. But behind the lofty language is a hard truth: Michel is now a tool of Beijing’s soft power machine.
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