Eu and China Relations

The European Union (EU) and China can be seen as emerging global strategic actors. For some time, their economic and demographic weight has imbued them with the potential to become global actors in the politico-military dimension of the world affairs. However, only recently have they actively undertaken policies in these fields. The comparative economic and demographic strength of the EU and China imply that their emergence as global strategic actors constitutes as a new structural factor with an enormous potential impact on world order (Edmonds pg. 8, 11). This potential first became apparent to the EU. The ongoing development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), to which was later added the military arm of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), has led to unsolved questions regarding the nature of the transatlantic partnership between Europe and the United States. China set foot on the state slightly later, but this step caused even more reverberation because China was considered the most likely future opponent of the dominant global power and leading to advocate of a liberal world order, the United States (Edmonds pg. 8, 11). In this disquisition we will aim to assess whether the EU and China just have their position as debutants on the international politico-military scene in common, or whether they share strategic views to an extent that would allow them to establish a true strategic partnership, systematic coordination, joint initiatives and practical cooperation on wide range of foreign and security policy issues.
At the heart of China’s relations with the European Union lie two key strategic issues. First is China’s objective of regaining its rightful place as a “great power” (Shambaugh pg, 27). Second, there is the question of the best means for China to articulate its rising power through the international arena. China’s quest for great power status is a long-standing one, but over the last thirty years of the reform era China’s...