Can China keep relations with EU on course?
- The European Parliament’s decision to suspend ratification of an investment deal was a serious blow, but avenues for cooperation remain
- The country’s foreign minister told a conference last week that the two sides could work together on a range of topics, not just climate change
China is looking at ways to improve relations with the European Union after a series of setbacks in recent weeks, according to diplomatic observers.
The foreign ministry said China looked forward to deepening cooperation with the four and putting China-Europe ties on a “positive, comprehensive and balanced” path.
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Tensions with Washington during the Trump era pushed Beijing to reach out to Europe. Although Brussels said it did not wish to choose sides between its two largest trading partners – and agreed to the investment deal late last year – it has hardened its stance in recent months.
Meanwhile the US and EU are becoming closer under the new administration in Washington, and are coordinating efforts to counter China. Last week the two sides issued a joint statement that they could partner to “hold countries like China that support trade-distorting policies to account”.
Biden will make his first overseas trip as president to the EU and Britain in June, when he will attend multiple major meetings with his key allies.
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“The Biden administration is keen to rewrite rules which it feels constrain the US while giving China a free pass. In the face of growing lawlessness in international relations, and in order to secure Europe’s future economic prosperity, Brussels is happy to rewrite many of these rules, as long as an external body is able to ensure that the writ of the law is enforced.”
But Chinese observers said the country could still strengthen its ties with the EU by stepping up cooperation in various areas.
Sun Qi, an international relations specialist at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said China and the EU had vast cooperative space in some areas, adding: “As China is further opening up in areas where both sides share common interests such as the digital economy and green economy, China will be open to a large-scale investment in new technology fields, which can be very attractive to EU investors.”
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He also said Europe was unlikely to completely side with Washington and would seek to maximise the benefits it could get from the US and China.
Sun continued that working together to fight climate change could offer “complementary advantages in fields including renewable energy, technological innovation, industrial cooperation, green finance, digital economy integration, which will push the investment agreement to advance effectively and steadily”.
Wang Yiwei, an international relations professor at Renmin University, said the stalled investment deal reflected the concerns in Brussels about the rising influence of Beijing, and urged China to be patient.
“There is no doubt that the EU needs to cooperate with China on climate change,” Wang said. “Although Biden is now engaged in carbon emission reduction, it’s hard to ensure that the US can still stick to this agenda after Biden steps down.”
