Development of relations between China and the European Union

Relations between China and the EU have developed in the face of significant geopolitical turbulence. This has caused earlier areas of cooperation such as trade, investment and infrastructure ties to become politicized and instrumental within the bilateral relationship and beyond. China continued to implement its Belt and Road Initiative in Europe, but the lack of specificity and clarity prevented EU partners from coherently responding to it. Pressure from the US and a growing view that China poses a major threat to the rules-based multilateral order have also contributed to a more assertive EU stance towards China. China continues to emphasize that its relationship with the EU is based on a comprehensive partnership and that it supports a multilateral system, while there is a growing view within the EU that the very nature of China's political and economic system may represent an alternative and even competitive form of global governance. Thus, different expectations about what each side is trying to achieve, different approaches and different standards associated with cooperation need to be updated.