Beijing eyes improved EU ties to increase global leverage

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-04-27

Xi Jinping shakes hands with European Council president Herman Van
Rompuy, right, during his visit to Brussels on March 31.

Europe is becoming more and more important to China's strategic goals as evidenced by President Xi Jinping's first EU trip as leader earlier this year, reports Guangzhou's South Reviews.

China has faced difficulty in building up its geopolitical leverage, while the United States has a number of aces up its sleeve: its military alliances with Japan and South Korea, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These alliances provide the US with leverage and put pressure on China.

To address this disparity, Beijing will have to seek leverage by conducting acts of goodwill with major powers, notably in Europe, which is at the heart of the global political games, the magazine said.

For a long time, Beijing has at most seen the EU as a trading partner and a technology transfer, failing to cultivate its geopolitical potential. But after Xi's successful EU tour, its potential to China's geopolitics has gradually emerged. Beijing will now look to build closer ties with European countries to improve China's strategic position.

Meanwhile, changes have occurred between the two sides, seeing each other on equal footing. During the tour from March 22 to April 1, Xi was greeted warmly in the Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium, with the Dutch King Willem Alexander even going to the airport to receive him, showing respect to China.

However, there are still many obstacles facing Europe and China as the current strong bilateral economic and trade relationship cannot guarantee a sound strategic partnership. Without deeper military and security cooperation and the interaction of society and culture, the Sino-European strategic partnership will lack a solid foundation.

King Willem-Alexander and queen Maxima officially welcome Chinese
 president Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at Schiphol airport. Photo: Novum

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