Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday harshly lambasted communism and China at the EPP congress in Zagreb, accusing China of being directed against the West and desiring hegemony.

“I remind you that communism doesn’t stop at the borders. It is always a global force. Be wary of communist countries and communism which are a challenge and threat,” said the veteran Italian politician and incumbent leader of the Forza Italia party.

“Anyone who knows Chinese politics says that it is an unbelievable threat to future generations,” he underscored addressing the EPP congress, referring to the EPP as a true family that represents freedom and democracy in Europe.

Berlusconi underlined that communists think that the state is above individuals and that everyone needs to serve the state, stressing that there is an “unbridgeable chasm between them and us.”

“We are different. We have the right to freedom from which all other rights emerge. We are not vassals like the leftists. We don’t think that we owe our lives to the state. There is an unbridgeable chasm between them and us,” he added.

He called for strengthening the EU’s defence policy in the wake of the growing wave of migrants.

“We need a Europe with a single defence policy. That is the greatest challenge facing the EU. We have to be a military power,” he underscored and added that Europe needs a military capacity so that it can defend itself in the case of the phenomenon of mass migrations.

“That isn’t just a presumption and as such we have to be a mighty military power so that we can deter migrant waves from African countries,” he added.

He referred to the incumbent government in Italy as incapable and unqualified.