Europe is committed to globalregionalism and the strengtheningof global governance.The US seems on a trajectoryto distance itself from such anapproach.In spite of certain differencesof interests and values, Chinaand Europe seem capable ofpursuing a stable relationship.As with any major historicalevent, perspective is neededbefore concluding what reallyhappened.The recent visit to Asia byUS President Donald Trumpcertainly got a lot of attentionbut how important it turns outto be remains uncertain. His“America First” message did notgo down well in Asia any morethan it does in Europe.With the US President continuingto perceive and present theUS as a victim of globalization,its position as a multilateralistactor has indeed now becomeuncertain and unpredictable.Interdependence is a conceptwith which the European Unionand its leaders feel much morecomfortable than the US. TheEU has not suddenly noticed theidea of “win-win” cooperation.

Not zero-sum

China has supported the ideaof European integration. In thecurrent international situation,China and Europe should redoubletheir common effortsto safeguard common interestsand resist the simplistic zerosumapproach to economic andpolitical cooperation. China andEurope have a well-establishedunderstanding and a functioningstrategic partnership.The EU is going through numerouspolitical challenges. Itis not, however, about to collapse.No one plans to followthe UK out of the door and theeconomy is recovering. Instabilityin Europe’s neighborhoodbrings many dangers as seen inthe refugee crisis.China’s leaders have wiselyavoided offering any encouragementto populist, nationalist,anti-EU forces which do threatenstability in the Eurasia region.Indeed, cooperation within theBelt and Road framework sendsprecisely the opposite, positivemessage. There is muchwork to be done to deepen thiscooperation.There are concerns in Europeabout unfair trade practices,but this should not be seen asa temptation by the EU to followprotectionist policies. Similarconcerns about fair trade preventedprogress on negotiationsfor an ambitious trade agreementbetween the US and the EU.Many voters in regions of Europeare feeling “left behind”even at a time of economicgrowth. This sentiment feedsinto populism and EU leaders areacting to head off such concernsand to prevent demands for protectionistaction to be taken. 

Common ability

On substance, both China andEurope have shown a commonability to follow long-term strategicgoals which are in bothsides’ interests. Most notably,they have avoided unpredictableand erratic positions andactions. They both accept thatmultilateral structures arejust as important as bilateralrelationships.In the coming years, Europeshould respond to the vision ofChinese President Xi Jinping’sBeijing speech by providing aninspiring narrative of its ownand rejecting the short-sightednarrow-mindedness anddestructive paranoia.In doing so, China will be Europe’snatural partner.In historical terms, the mostimportant recent event was thereport by the Chinese Presidentto the 19th National Congress ofthe Communist Party of China,in which he expressed a readinessfor China to take a leadingrole in developing a global communityof shared interests.As the EU moves to consolidateits global strategy and defencepolicy, even as Brexit uncertaintiesremain, it should confirm itsinterest in peace and cooperationin the Asia-Pacific region. 

Geoffrey Harris is currently avisiting researcher at the FudanDevelopment Institute. He is alsovisiting Professor at the Collegeof Europe in Bruges and the Xi’anJiaotong-Liverpool University(XJTLU) in Suzhou. From 1976-2016 he was an official of theEuropean Parliament. ShanghaiDaily condensed the article due tospace limitations.

For PDF version:Geoffrey Harris Shanghai Daily 20171205.pdf

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