European Union (EU)-China relations have deteriorated in recent years, mainly due to conflicts based on human rights, criticisms made in this regard, and even tensions with sanctions. As it will be remembered, the foreign ministers of the 27 member states of the EU announced criminal sanctions against four Chinese officials and a state-sponsored company believed to have caused human rights violations of Muslims in the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region in 2021.[1]
These sanctions were the first attempt to punish China on human rights grounds since the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, nearly 30 years later.[2] Thereupon, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs imposed sanctions on 10 Europeans, including five members of the European Parliament.[3] Thus, the disagreements between the parties created mutual sanctions and the tension increased at the same rate.
In addition, the difference in the attitudes of the EU and China towards the war since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War made it impossible to improve relations. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU set aside its differences of opinion and displayed a common attitude towards the war, especially the sanctions to be applied to Russia. In addition, what happened in 2022 has once again revealed the importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) within the scope of European security. In this sense, the trans-Atlantic community is united against Russia. Against all this, China took an ambiguous attitude and continued its relations with Russia.
The disagreements between the EU and China arising from Beijing’s practices as well as the differences in attitudes towards the Russia-Ukraine War continue. However, recent developments show the EU’s desire to improve its relations with China. First of all, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing on November 4, 2022, becoming the first European leader to do so in three years.[4] Then, on December 1, 2022, the President of the European Council Charles Michel also visited Beijing.[5]
A new visit was added to the visits that started with Olaf Scholz, with the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to China, and then the eyes were turned to the Beijing visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. During the talks, Macron expressed that China could mediate in the Russia-Ukraine War; these contacts were also interpreted through China-US relations.
After his visit to China, Macron, in his interviews published on April 9, stated that Europe should not become a “vassal” and should not be drawn into any conflict between the USA and China over Taiwan[6] and gave the message that “strategic autonomy” is aimed.[7]
In retrospect, France has been one of the leading actors who favored the idea that Europe should go to a separate security and defense formation in many discussions, including the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) developed within the scope of the EU. In addition, France is one of the five states that signed the Brussels Treaty in 1948, which established the Western European Union (WEU), a European security and defense organization.[8] In this sense, it can be stated that the policy pursued by France in the EU since the past and the statement of “strategic autonomy” are compatible.
Macron’s aforementioned statement points to the EU’s concern to stay between the USA and China and an understanding that prioritizes the union’s own interests. In the current situation, even if the policy differences between the EU and China will continue, the desire to develop commercial relations, especially by meeting at a common point, comes to the fore. As a matter of fact, within the scope of Schloz’s visit to China in 2022, a delegation of business people accompanied him. Likewise, during Macron’s visit to China in April 2023, important names from the French business world accompanied him and agreements were signed between companies.[9]
In addition to all these, Leyen delivered a speech on EU-China relations on March 30, 2023, addressing the human rights violations in Xinjiang, in particular, sanctions and Russia-China relations. However, the President of the European Commission said the following in the continuation of her speech:[10]
“Our relationship with China is far too important to be put at risk by failing to clearly set the terms of a healthy engagement. We want to work with our partners on global issues like trade, finance, climate, sustainable development or health. For that, we need to reinforce the institutions and systems in which countries can compete and cooperate and from which they benefit. This is why it is vitally important that we ensure diplomatic stability and open communication with China. I think that leaving China is neither viable nor in Europe’s interest. Our relationships are not black or white, and neither can our reaction.”
As a result, recent developments show that the EU aims to improve its trade relations with China. The visits that started with Scholz prove this. Economic difficulties arose in European countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which first affected the whole world, and then the sanctions imposed on the Moscow administration due to the Russia-Ukraine War. It can be thought that relations with China, which can be seen as an important economic and commercial opportunity for the EU, are not wanted to be put at risk due to the US-China rivalry. Macron’s “strategic autonomy” message can also be read as both the general policy followed by Paris and an indication of this concern of the EU. Leyen’s related statement, on the other hand, is the harbinger of the policy the EU will follow in its relations with China.
[1] “EU-China: Sanctions, Threats and Boycotts See Relations Enter Downward Spiral”, Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2021/03/31/eu-china-sanctions-threats-and-boycotts-see-relations-enter-downward-spiral, (Date of Accession: 13.04.2023).
[2] “EU Imposes Sanctions on Four Chinese Officials”, Politico, https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-imposes-sanctions-on-four-chinese-officials/, (Date of Accession: 13.04.2023).
[3] “EU-China: Sanctions…”
[4] “Olaf Scholz’s China Gamble”, The Diplomat, https://thediplomat.com/2022/12/olaf-scholzs-china-gamble/, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
[5] “EU’s Michel Urges Xi to Use ‘Influence’ on Russia over War with Ukraine”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-xi-vows-strengthen-communication-coordination-with-eu-meeting-with-michel-2022-12-01/, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
[6] “Macron Sparks Anger by Saying Europe Should not be ‘Vassal’ in US-China Clash”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/10/emmanuel-macron-sparks-anger-europe-vassal-us-china-clash, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
[7] “Macron’s Comments on Taiwan Spark Controversy About EU-China Relations and US Aliance”, Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/11/macrons-comments-on-taiwan-spark-controversy-about-eu-china-relations-and-us-alliance, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
[8] “The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)”, The Diplomatic Service of the European Union, https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/shaping-common-security-and-defence-policy_en, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
[9] “France-China Trade Ties: ‘There Is A Greater Risk Due to the Current Geopolitical Climate’”, France 24, https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230407-france-china-trade-ties-there-is-a-greater-risk-due-to-the-current-geopolitical-climate, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
[10] “Speech by President von der Leyen on EU-China Relations to the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the European Policy Centre”, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_23_2063, (Date of Accession: 14.04.2023).
