A new consensus on China has emerged in Europe, with Europe becoming increasingly wary of Beijing and increasingly concerned about China’s assertiveness and human rights abuses abroad, according to a report published by an EU research institute.
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) released a study this week titled “The New China Consensus: Europe Becomes Increasingly Wary of Beijing”. According to the report, since the outbreak of the new coronavirus epidemic, there has been a new convergence in the EU member states’ assessment of the challenges that China poses to Europe. They see a lack of reciprocity in China-EU economic relations, as well as growing concern within the EU about China’s assertiveness abroad, violations of its international legal commitments, and massive human rights violations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Overall, the report says, there is growing skepticism about the future course of Sino-European relations, which provides an opportunity for the EU to adopt a more robust and coherent policy towards China.
The report suggests that the German presidency of the Council of the European Union could use this momentum in the remaining months to create institutional structures to improve the EU’s ability to act. In the process, it will be crucial to allay concerns, especially in Eastern and Southern Europe, about Franco-German domination of the China agenda, while allowing all member states to become more involved in shaping the EU’s future approach to China.
EU leaders are expected to raise at the summit issues related to trade, the neo-crowning epidemic, and climate change, in addition to the issues of Hong Kong and Xinjiang, which have irked Chinese leaders.
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