Future China-EU economic relations are likely to be defined by cooperation amid ongoing competition. Europe will need to choose when to emphasize industrial competitiveness and when to protect open markets. China should respond more proactively to European concerns over industrial development, employment and economic security.

Europe is increasingly applying the same economic-security standards to U.S. firms that it once reserved for China, reflecting growing concerns over strategic dependence and American jurisdiction. However, while the EU has strengthened its ability to block foreign acquisitions, it still lacks the industrial capacity to replace them with competitive European alternatives.

A window of opportunity is open to prevent slipping into a pattern of entrenched strategic competition — which is why the question matters now. Relations between China and Europe are moving from an era of sectoral competition to an era in which competition embraces the entire economic ecosystem.

China is methodically strengthening its global position through diplomacy with Europe, soft-power engagement toward Taiwan, and long-term economic and energy preparation in the Middle East while presenting itself as a stabilizing force amid global instability. Recent crises, from Taiwan tensions to the Hormuz disruption, reflect a broader shift toward a more multipolar world in which Beijing benefits from strategic patience and the gradual erosion of unquestioned U.S. influence.

The European Union’s China policy is trapped in a glaring contradiction. Officially, Brussels frames China as a “partner, competitor and systemic rival.” In practice, however, the rivalry narrative has overridden all other dimensions and eroding the foundation of cooperation.

Germany’s renewed engagement with China reflects deep shifts in the international system. As alliance cohesion weakens and multipolar trends advances, Berlin is exploring interest-based cooperation beyond traditional Western frameworks, signaling a broader transition from ideology-driven alliances toward pragmatic international partnerships.

In late 2025, protests in Gabès over pollution from the phosphate industry led Tunisia to seek Chinese help to reduce environmental harm. The move also reflects President Saied’s broader shift away from Europe toward China in economic and diplomatic policy.

(Social media @realDonaldTrump)In May 2024, I penned an article that framed Europe’s existential dilemma starkly: either fade into obscurity as the "conti

As the Philippines assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2026, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is seeking to de-escalate tensions with China while deepening defense cooperation with the United States and other partners amid rising frictions in the South China Sea. The strategy reflects Manila’s effort to bolster deterrence without undermining ASEAN consensus or provoking broader regional instability.

China and Italy’s 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties underscores a shared recognition that disengagement is neither realistic nor beneficial, even as geopolitical tensions rise. The way forward is a pragmatic, economically focused partnership centered on green cooperation, financial connectivity, and people-to-people exchange, and anchored in Italy’s Euro-Atlantic commitments.