Facing US and Chinese pressure, the EU must forge its own strategy

To remain competitive, Brussels must leverage its market power to engage Beijing – while aligning with Washington on its own terms

None of this diminishes America’s importance to Europe. Its innovation ecosystem remains unmatched. Europe should stay anchored to it through the transatlantic security alliance and shared commitments. But admiration is not subordination. Washington’s rivalry with China is real. The error is not the competition. It is the collateral taxation of allies. A security alliance does not require an identical China policy.

Europe’s China problem is not America’s. Washington and Beijing are engaged in hegemonic rivalry. Europe is not. Its challenge is industrial: overcapacity, subsidised competition and limited reciprocity – serious problems, but problems that can be negotiated, not reasons to surrender strategic flexibility.

Source: News - South China Morning Post