Breaking the EU-China 'Dialogue of the Deaf'

"If current tensions and conflicts are allowed to continue, and if economic ties are left to be influenced deeply by political factors, economic relations will encounter even more severe challenges."

Today’s edition begins with an introduction by Grzegorz Stec. Greg is the head of the Mercator Institute for China Studies’ (MERICS) Brussels office. He is a leading voice on EU-China relations as well as being a friend and former colleague of mine. – Thomas

Professor Jian's piece underscores a shift in EU-China relations. The "cold politics and hot economics" dynamic of the past years is changing, indicating that economic relations are also heading into a cooler period.

However, this change predates the EU’s adoption of its de-risking approach, which is a symptom of the challenges besieging these relations, not a cause. The EU’s policy towards China has evolved gradually from an embrace of win-win rhetoric through calls for a level-playing field and reciprocity, to developing a policy toolbox aimed at mitigating risks and market distortions as dialogue with Beijing failed to sufficiently address them. Criticism of the EU's de-risking strategy overlooks its underlying rationale: to isol…