EU-China summit: a new start is needed

In 2025, the European Union and the People’s Republic of China mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. This milestone will be marked by a summit on 24th July in Beijing. It comes at a moment of profound global transformation: geopolitical conflicts are escalating into wars, global institutions are losing effectiveness, economic interdependence is under pressure and international norms are being challenged.



https://feps-europe.eu/eu-china-summit-a-new-start-is-needed/



EU-China relations, once largely shaped by pragmatic cooperation, are increasingly defined by rivalry and mistrust. The EU’s 2019 ‘Strategic Outlook’ captured this shift, describing China as a partner, competitor, and systemic rival – a formulation now echoed in national governments and public debate. Yet the term ‘systemic rival’ has contributed more to misunderstanding than to constructive dialogue. The prevailing framing of global politics as a contest between democracies and autocracies has further strained relations. Tensions peaked when the European Parliament suspended ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), a deal that had taken seven years to negotiate and was finalised in the final days of Germany’s Council presidency in December 2020. The CAI promised meaningful concessions on market access and investment conditions for European companies. However, ratification stalled in response to EU sanctions on human rights grounds, China’s countersanctions and US opposition. Ironically, the Trump administration had signed a bilateral trade deal with China in early 2020 – without consulting the EU – to secure purchases of American goods.

Today, European democracy and integration are threatened not only externally, but also internally, by populist movements on both sides of the Atlantic. The MAGA movement, which propelled Donald Trump’s political return, is now actively supporting far-right, Eurosceptic forces in Europe. Against this backdrop, the EU-China summit must help reset relations under new international conditions. The meeting offers an opportunity to realign expectations, restore trust and recommit to engagement based on clearly defined interests and responsibilities. It is not just about bilateral cooperation – it is about the future of the global order.

Trump’s return: a structural threat to a multilateral order

Donald Trump’s return to the White House is not merely a domestic shift – it marks a rupture in the post-war international order. His administration embraces a protectionist, transactional, unilateral worldview – undermining an international system that has underpinned European peace and prosperity for over seven decades. Trump’s resurgence reflects deeper structural challenges. The United States has failed to distribute the gains of globalisation fairly. Deindustrialisation, stagnant middle-class wages and rising inequality have led large parts of the American electorate toward populism, nationalism and protectionism. Global Markets are no longer seen as sources of wealth but as threats to identity and security.

The consequences are far-reaching:



At the core of this confrontation lies a fear of a multipolar world shaped by China’s rise. A successful China – capable of establishing alternative financial, trade and development institutions – could undermine the US dollar’s role as the global reserve currency. This, in turn, would weaken America’s economic and financial power and global influence.

Europe’s dilemma: between US unilateralism and Chinese ambivalence.........................

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