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Open Questions | Europe expert Cui Hongjian on why China, EU face worst-case scenario as Trump returns
Leading Chinese researcher on European studies and ex-diplomat says Beijing, Brussels and Washington may find themselves in a ‘triad game’
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Wendy Wuin Beijing
Cui Hongjian is a leading Chinese researcher on European studies. A former diplomat, he is the head of European Union studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Talking to the South China Morning Post, Cui delves into the changing dynamics of China-EU relations and the impact of a strong comeback by Donald Trump, the US president-elect. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.
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What are the main challenges facing China’s relations with the European Union? Are they different from previous decades and, if so, why?
The fundamentals that define China-EU relations have changed in recent years. The gap in perception of each other is deeper, which has also dealt a blow to academic exchanges.
China’s stance of a comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU – that views cooperation as greater than competition and consensus as greater than differences – has been rejected by the EU.
India, Africa and Latin America – but not China – have been listed by the European Union as its next-generation strategic partnerships.
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In the EU’s view, its triple positioning on China – as a cooperative partner, an economic competitor and a systemic rival – is based on reality and objectively reflects the status and trajectory of Europe’s policy logic towards China.
Meanwhile, China is still focused on the expectations of a bilateral relationship.
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