It’s too much to expect that Europe will wean itself from America’s security blanket anytime soon. But Trump has provided a wake-up call. European leaders seek strategic autonomy to escape the quagmire of great power competition.

The latest escalation in US-China economic frictions points at worrisome trends. In the short run, US allies may benefit from US-China economic tensions, but serious dangers lie ahead.

The European Council has issued a new definition of China: from the EU perspective, China is simultaneously a political and economic challenger and a partner in multilateral global governance. Through established forums like the G20 and UN, along with new iniatitives like the Belt and Road or the “16+1” format, China and Europe can build on their trade partnership to face common challenges like climate change.

As EU dependency relationships adjust to changes occurring in geopolitics and world commerce, member states will explore deals with China and Russia at the expense of Washington’s preferred global order.

Germany will be at the strategic forefront as Europe’s economy and political weight continue to grow. Yet any decision made in Berlin about the future of the union will loudly reverberate in Washington and Beijing.

As a strategic partner of both the United States and China, the European Union is in a position to turn the tenuous relationship between the two into an opportunity for the Union.

Although Donald Trump’s trade wars have opened the door to China-EU cooperation, China must also remember that the EU will not be its ally on every issue.

Following the successful summit earlier in July, many observers excitedly noted the increased possibilities of cooperation between the EU and China. But does the EU have the strategic vision and commitment necessary to truly take advantage of its new relationship with China?

While the transatlantic partnership remains a priority for Europe, this should not make the EU strategically biased against China. It should urge Europe to become a more autonomous strategic actor and to negotiate its global interests from a principled position of consolidated strength.

Sometimes love just ain’t enough.