Opinion

As US-China rivalry sharpens, the EU must strike a pragmatic balance between its values and interests

Facing both US exceptionalism and Chinese assertiveness, Europe must vigorously defend its own interests in security and other areas

And, as a defender of liberal idealism, the EU also wants to uphold the values and norms it historically and culturally shares with the US

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a news conference in Brussels, Belgium, on February 12. Von der Leyen has pledged to lead a “geopolitical commission”, where reinforcing the EU’s role as a relevant international actor is a key priority. Photo: Reuters

Li Xing is a Yunshan leading scholar and a distinguished professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, and an adjunct professor of international relations at Aalborg University, Denmark.

Published: 12:15am, 4 Mar 2021Updated: 2:39am, 4 Mar 2021

“Standing in two boats” is a Chinese idiomatic expression which means having difficulty deciding between two choices. To avoid choosing one and losing the other, one has to hedge, and commitment to either choice is half-hearted. This phrase comes to mind when analysing the EU’s two most important external relations: with China and the US.

EU-China relations have grown closer in some areas. Last year, China replaced the US to become the EU’s largest trading partner, and the two concluded a long-awaited investment treaty at the end of the year.

China is also the EU’s strategic partner on issues such as climate change and clean energy transition. Both sides committed to implementing the Paris climate agreement and lead on climate action, with the EU welcoming China’s recent pledge to become carbon neutral by 2060.

Multilateralism is core to both China’s and the EU’s approach to foreign policy. The same could not be said for the US under former president Donald Trump, who favoured unilateralism and isolationism.