EU-China Political and Security Relations: Gaps, Challenges and Perspectives

The European Union’s relevance in East Asian political and security issues, developed mainly during the last two decades, remains limited and relatively low profile. After these two decades, the persistent gap between rhetoric and materialized joint action remains evident. However, since its formalization, the EU–China “Strategic Partnership” has achieved a significant deepening and widening, both in the recognized potential for further cooperation and in concrete joint action. Yet, points of tension still exist, mainly stemming from disagreements over values and conceptions of the international system. The significant rise of China and its increasing presence in international affairs have posed a major challenge for the EU. On the one hand, strengthening and deepening relations with China is a necessary condition for the EU to consolidate its role as an international actor; on the other hand, China’s strong demands for respect for national sovereignty and for being treated as an equal challenge the EU’s traditional value-based diplomacy. Paradoxically, China, because of the challenges it presents to the EU alongside the necessity and determination to strengthen this relationship, may be becoming a driving force for the consolidation of the EU’s identity as a foreign and security actor. Thus, this article will first provide a historical overview of EU–China relations since the end of the Cold War; second, it will review the main challenges and gaps still present in the bilateral relationship; and finally, it will evaluate the prospects and possible future direction of this important “Strategic Partnership”.