Opinion | Why Europe must end its strategic drift by working with China

As the United States grows more unpredictable under President Donald Trump, some European nations are considering a pragmatic partnership with China. Could this lead to a new triangular balance, or will it deepen Europe’s isolation?

Under a second Trump presidency, Europe finds itself caught in a geopolitical no man’s land. Washington’s increasingly erratic foreign policy, Russia’s protracted invasion of Ukraine and the failure to craft a unified European Union strategy towards either Russia or China have left the continent adrift.

If trust in Russia and its President Vladimir Putin is irreparably damaged and the US proves too volatile a partner, Europe could soon be forced to reconsider its global alignments. The question is not whether to choose between Washington and Beijing but how to reassert strategic agency in a rapidly shifting world order.

Despite the potential appeal of closer EU-China ties – from economic diversification to diplomatic leverage – Europe is hesitating. The default response has been inward retreat rather than outward recalibration. The EU had an opportunity to hedge its risks by deepening ties with Beijing, thereby regaining leverage with the US while securing alternative markets, yet no such move materialised.

That hesitation has come at a cost. Europe now finds itself increasingly alone, struggling to articulate a coherent alternative to reliance on the US. With Trump back in the White House, the EU must decide whether continued strategic drift is tenable.

One emerging option is a more agile, triangular strategy where Europe coordinates selectively with China, not to align against the US but to enhance its own leverage at the negotiating table. Such a relationship would not require formal alliances or ideological convergence, only pragmatic coordination where interests align.