At the same time, China’s relations with the United States of America (USA), the European Union (EU), and many of its neighbours have deteriorated, being characterised by numerous points of tension. If China’s diverse domestic challenges continue to mount, its government may resort to even more aggressive foreign policy in the future. • Since 2017, EU-China relations have been on a downward spiral. In 2019, the EU described China as ‘a cooperation partner’ and ‘negotiating partner’, as well as ‘an economic competitor’ and ‘a systemic rival’. Since then, the economic competition and systemic rivalry have intensified, while the EU and China have failed to achieve notable negotiating successes.
mandag 13. mai 2024
EU-China relations: De-risking or de-coupling – the future of the EU strategy towards China
Over the past decade, the political environment in the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China) has become more closed and authoritarian. The influence of ideology and nationalism has grown, coupled with wider and more serious human rights violations. It is possible that this trend could continue. Moreover, the Chinese government’s external behaviour has become more assertive and on occasion confrontational.
