As the world’s largest single market, the European Union stands shoulder to shoulder with the US and China on trade matters.
That makes the 27-nation bloc an attractive partner for Beijing at a time when it’s trying to encourage international investment to bolster its economy amid intense competition with Washington.
It’s a fact not lost on the EU’s leaders as they travel to China for the first face-to-face summit in four years.
As Alberto Nardelli reports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel will bring a tough message — that time is running out for Beijing to address grievances from market access to industry subsidies before the EU is forced to react.
Tomorrow’s meeting with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang will likely hear complaints over an EU probe into electric vehicles produced in China and its “de-risking” plans to reduce dependencies in strategic industries like electronics and defense.
The EU is attempting to forge a middle path in China ties distinct from Washington. Indeed, polling out today for the European Council on Foreign Relations found a majority of Europeans say it’s possible to have good relations with both China and the US.
But while the EU flexes its muscle abroad, there’s a mounting sense of economic and political drift at home.
The same ECFR poll found that 46% of Europeans believe China, not Europe or the US, will be the world leader in EV production in a decade.
Meanwhile, almost three-quarters of EU citizens think their standard of living will drop in the next year, with more than a third experiencing difficulties paying bills, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. It said the bloc is enduring a “permacrisis.”
For an embattled Europe, navigating China ties is but one challenge among many. — Alan Crawford