How Trump can bring China and the European Union closer, if they can be pragmatic about their wish lists

Europe remains disengaged in Asian geopolitical struggles. Brussels has shown no interest or capacity to get involved in the global power struggles between Beijing and Washington. Instead, China is viewed almost exclusively in economic terms, as an opportunity for European service-oriented economies and a threat to the European manufacturing sectors.

While the European Union seems incapable of resolving one severe crisis after another, Beijing will inevitably reassess the value of its partnerships with Brussels and EU member states. Tough questions will be asked at this year’s upcoming EU-China Summit and the annual gathering between Beijing and the 16 central and eastern European countries in Sofia.

Decision-makers in Beijing are very clear about what China wants from the EU: first, free access to the European single market. Second, a secure home for its investments. In particular, a willing partner for China’s ever-growing appetite for overseas assets acquisitions.

Third, a meaningful diplomatic alternative to its increasingly fractious and erratic relationship with the United States of America, which China would argue has turned into the “Unreliable States of America” for both China and Europe.

The EU has been at odds with all three of these “wants” from China. This is unlikely to change soon, even if the transatlantic alliances seem at risk of dissolution.