onsdag 2. januar 2019

Europe’s Challenge to China

In September, the European Union released a new strategy on “Connecting Europe with Asia” as its principal guidelines toward connectivity between the two continents. It has been without doubt that for a long time now, the EU has been hoping to work toward an effective response to the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched five years ago but defined in the guiding document “Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road” (referred to hereafter as the “BRI Vision and Action Plan”), released in March 2015.

The EU’s new strategy is arguably the most comprehensive so far in attempting to clearly set out the European approach, dimension, and perspective toward cooperation between Europe and Asia, and not only limited to connectivity.