As Europeans have been left reeling by the events of recent weeks which appear to spell the end of the transatlantic alliance as we know it, China sees an opportunity. Indeed, when China’s foreign minister Wang Yi took the stage at the Munich Security Conference, he not only called for Europe to take part in the negotiations for peace in Ukraine, but also proposed a wider rethink in Sino-European relations. Although Wang Yi endorsed the bilateral Russia–US negotiations mere days later (and China’s role in the Ukraine war has been far from benign), some European leaders, such as Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares, have expressed willingness to take Beijing up on the offer. Resetting the relationship with Beijing may indeed offer some opportunities – not in the least the ability to hedge between China and the US – but it also comes with significant risks.
Trump is pushing Europe and China closer together. Europe should tread carefully (Katja Bego, Chatham House)
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