EU and China must abandon petty disputes to provide global leadership
I've tracked relations between
China and the European Union for nearly three decades, reporting and commenting on the highs and lows of a relationship that, despite its volatility, has lasted 50 years. Most of the time, I could make sense of it and understand what made European and Chinese policymakers tick.
It was clear that China sought recognition as a major strategic partner of the EU and hoped Europe could act as a counterbalance to the United States. The EU was determined to secure more and better access to Chinese markets, urging faster trade liberalisation and economic reform.
Fast forward to mid-2025, and for the first time, I cannot make head or tail of the state of EU–China ties.
Brussels and Beijing have become trapped in a confusing, contradictory and often chaotic relationship. Their frequent meetings have been reduced to rituals of mixed messages while
tit-for-tat feuds offer endless fodder for think tanks, lawyers, academics and self-anointed geopolitical gurus. Despite the diplomatic gloss of 'strategic partnership,' the relationship has always been transactional.
EU officials may bristle at the comparison but as the late
Princess Diana famously said about her troubled marriage: 'There were always three of us'. In this case, the third partner is the US.
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