Over the past 50 years since diplomatic relations were established between China and the European Union, differences have never become insurmountable obstacles. This is the proven pattern and the one to which they should continue to adhere in the future.

At the 25th China-EU Summit in Beijing, Chinese and European leaders acknowledged both overlapping interests and deep divergences, especially over China’s seeming alignment with Russia and the Ukraine war. While Beijing seeks improved economic ties with Europe, it continues to prioritize geopolitical security and its strategic rivalry with the U.S. over European concerns, limiting the prospects for major diplomatic improvements.

The early decades of the 21st Century have already seen a rapid shifting of global power, and today one could view the world’s relationships flowing through a four-way struggle for balance and dominance between the U.S., China, the EU, and Russia.

The recent tariff episode shook global economic confidence in a way that’s only been seen in the aftermath of major catastrophes, despite relief coming in the short-term. Has the damage been done to America’s trade hegemony?

The U.S.-Russia contest over Ukraine ‌shows both the persistence of classic power politics and the clash of competing worldviews‌ at a time when the international system is undergoing ‌a seismic process of reordering. The Ukraine war and its potential settlement ‌are upending traditional major-power dynamics‌.

Trump’s second-term foreign policy asserts U.S. hegemony in the Western Hemisphere while exploring a great power system based on spheres of influence. Its success hinges on defining these spheres—especially between the U.S. and China—without destabilizing East Asia.

Trump’s proudly professed vision of greatness has once again become foreign policy, casting doubts over the stability of America’s relationships with even its closest allies. Could this sudden shift in paradigm strengthen China’s positions globally?

America’s stunning withdrawal from global leadership under President Donald Trump’s isolationist policies has accelerated China’s rise, marking a significant shift in global power dynamics. China’s timing is perfect for the moment as it promotes a vision of global collaboration and shared prosperity.

Greenland is synonymous with the far reaches of the Northern Atlantic, out of the way of major global events, but now with an ever growing demand for energy and Donald Trumps’ bold overtures, could the remote island become a hotbed of competing global interests?