Rooted partnership

The EU and China have all the reasons to work together and help return the world to stability and the path to prosperity

Since 1975 when China and the European Union's predecessor, the European Community, established diplomatic relations, China and Europe have shaped and implemented many strategies to create a long-term comprehensive partnership that benefits their economies and people.

More than a decade ago, China launched two distinct but interrelated initiatives that have increased Europe-China connectivity — Cooperation Between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEEC Cooperation) and the Belt and Road Initiative.

When Jean-Claude Juncker was the president of the EU's executive body, the European Commission, from 2014 to 2019, there were no concerns that cooperation with China might endanger the Western political system, economic and technological progress. The level of political trust between China and the EU was high.

Now this sounds incredible but when the Investment Plan for Europe was launched in 2014, the BRI was viewed as an initiative that was in synergy with the EU's aims.

The EU saw China as an equal partner in cutting-edge technology development and a "stakeholder "in global governance. There were no geopolitical discussions on de-risking, sanctions or calls to ban Chinese companies from competing in the European markets.

At that time, the EU pursued its policy toward China and worked to develop a more coherent strategic dialogue concentrating on economic cooperation and ignoring great power politics.

After 2019, China's European diplomacy was perceived and accepted by political coldness in Brussels under the political pressure from Western powers and the extremely biased approaches in media outlets and even academician circles.

The EU has followed the US' anti-China policy as a pattern for its relationship with China, complicating the China-EU relationship and hindering cooperation.

Despite the great challenges China has faced in Europe over the past six years it has continued to strive for harmony with the EU, awaiting Brussels taking a more autonomous stance toward trade and technological cooperation with it.

China did not follow the spirit of protectionism, de-globalization and sanctions that have not been approved by the United Nations Security Council and has remained devoted to building a long-term stable and trustworthy type of bilateral partnership with Europe.

Nobody can predict how relations between the EU, China and other global powers will be in the next few years. Even when changes are visible, we can miss what is on the horizon, but one thing is for sure — restoring the world as it was before US President Donald Trump and the Ukraine crisis will be hard. The expansion of BRICS and the strengthening of the Global South are a good direction, but these groupings may not have the power to change the world order.

At present, the post-Cold War order is under the biggest pressure to reach its endpoint because the new US administration has the ambition to shatter the multilateralism, institutions and organizing principles of the current world order. The US shows explicitly it will not use its economic and strategic superpower to keep other countries stable and prosperous.

That is why relations between Europe and China are becoming crucial for achieving stability in the world.

In recent weeks, there has been a growing question: Will the EU seek to align with China after President Trump has increased duties across all imports to the US? China's export growth slowed in the first two months of 2025 and the same is looming for European exports.

The shift in the EU's China policy is not yet a sure bet but the new US' approach to Europe will force the EU to think about stopping the rise of its economic and strategic vulnerability at home and abroad. The EU's foreign policy dependence on Washington is now widely recognized as a vulnerability and limiting to the EU's interests.

Europe and China must read the current chaos in international relations as a huge opportunity to work together to return the world to stability by protecting the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.

There are many similarities between the EU and China's views of international relations — both advocate the construction of a multipolar world, and the history of their relations is not burdened by geopolitics. China's steadfastness in being a friend of Europe stands as a "firewall" that preserves and protects their relations even in less good times.

Many positive things for upgrading Europe-China relations are already in the in-tray, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment for example.

Fifty years of cooperation is the right moment for reviving up the CAI that would make it easier for EU and Chinese companies to do business and stabilize the global trade.

China's diplomacy with Central and Eastern European countries remains a significant pillar of Europe-China relations. China-CEEC Cooperation has proved itself as cooperation that respects and accepts the EU's rules and standards and does not divide Europe. Trade with China has risen, and China's banks have opened branches in Central and Eastern European countries and Chinese capital has been invested in energy and transport infrastructure.

Today, China-CEEC relations feature a wide range of cooperation including student, academic and business exchanges focusing attention on a variety of issues of concern to its partners and in the line of sight of their leaders, but it has not reached its full potential yet.

This model of cooperation faces the challenges of rejuvenating itself and responding to changes in international relations.

China-CEEC Cooperation can enhance its agenda by connecting with the Global Civilization Initiative, emphasizing collaborative projects that focus on the shared values between Chinese and European civilizations rather than their differences.

The BRI which has made substantial progress and expanded into new geographical areas and collaborative forms should return to Europe in full glory.

Since 2013, the China-CEEC mechanism has been closely aligned with the BRI. Strengthening the connection between the BRI and China-CEEC Cooperation would make the mechanism feel less lonely in Europe and give it fresh momentum.

The EU's explicit detachment from the BRI was initiated during the Joe Biden administration of the US, which adopted a confrontational stance toward the BRI and even pressured Italy to withdraw from it.

The recent geopolitical changes in Eastern Europe, which holds a significant position within the BRI, have also diminished the BRI's influence in Europe, but the end of the Ukraine crisis is approaching and the status of the BRI in Europe can be revived.

All these impediments should be viewed as temporary, as China has not altered the strategic vision of the BRI to connect China, Asia and Europe.

The author is founder and president of the Geoeconomic Forum Croatia. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.