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Can China and the EU put aside their differences and find common ground?

  • Beijing’s focus in 2020 is expected to be less on the US and more on Europe, with a packed agenda of cooperative engagements with Brussels
  • But will the two sides be able to overcome disagreements and mistrust in favour of pragmatic cooperation?

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China is expected to make 2020 its “Year of Europe” as it shifts focus from its trade war with the United States. Photo: Bloomberg
Wendy Wuin Beijing
There was no shortage of geopolitical events in 2019. While sprawling US-China tensions occupied most of the year’s headlines, the European Union also adjusted its strategic stance on China, in a move which is expected to shape the narrative of relationships across the Asian and European continents in 2020.
For the first time, on March 12, the EU labelled Beijing as “an economic competitor in pursuit of technological leadership and a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance” in a document which mapped out a 10-point action plan to establish a more balanced relationship with China.

The harsh tone was a surprise to Beijing, which took a while to figure out a precise translation of “systemic rival” which properly reflected the shift in relations, according to a Chinese government adviser.

The term represented a rift between the two sides in their development models, ideology and governance and indicated a growing wariness by the EU of an increasingly influential China, the adviser said.

“The European Union has not grown accustomed to changes in the balance of power and is increasingly alert on the rise of China. For China, we would continue the policy of shelving disputes and exploring the potential for joint interests with Europe,” the adviser said.

Since then, China has strengthened its engagement with the EU, offering olive branches to Brussels and messages that cooperation outweighed conflict, delivered personally by Chinese President Ji Xinping on visits to Italy, Monaco and France in March, and reinforced at the annual China-EU summit in April.
In November, Beijing and Brussels signed a landmark deal to step up intellectual property protection for 100 branded products from both sides and China also appointed its first special envoy for European affairs – veteran diplomat Wu Hongbo – despite already having an ambassador to the European Union.
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