China is hoping to secure new allies for a future multipolar world order as the partnership between the US and European powers slides into a crisis. During a recent political TV talk show broadcast by state-owned Shanghai Media Group (SMG), a law student shouted from the audience: "These days, Europe is losing its significance in global politics and the economy. Are the European elite and the public aware of this?"
The question reflects Chinese public perception of Europe's stagnant economy, dependent foreign policy, and lack of defense capabilities. European powers are seen as still kowtowing to Washington and, despite intensive efforts, they appear incapable of stopping the Ukraine war, which is being waged on their own doorstep by Russia.
US President Donald Trump has thrown the transatlantic alliance into disarray since his return to office in January 2025, threatening to capture Greenland and calling the integrity of the NATO alliance into question after the Europeans backed off from joining Trump's war on Iran.
China regards the split between the US and Europe as an opportunity. Beijing envisions the future world as multipolar, and this shapes its strategy towards its rival superpower. China intends to work, not alone, but alongside Russia and other nations not aligned to the US. But China still believes Europe could become an independent pole in a new order.
The logic behind this is quite simple: with the United Kingdom and France, Europe holds two veto votes in the UN Security Council. The EU single market is highly attractive to China's export-oriented economy. This has become increasingly apparent in the wake of the trade war initiated by President Trump. The leadership in Beijing believes that companies in Europe and China can complement each other very well.
According to Ding Chun, a professor at Fudan University and chairman of the Shanghai Institute for European Studies, the US has used its dominance at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to promote economic programs in Latin America and Europe, thereby cementing a hegemonic position known as the "Washington Consensus." "But times have changed," Ding told a forum in Shanghai in mid-April. "A lot of things don't work the way they used to, even in Europe. The younger generation in Europe is fed up with the political establishment. Social media makes election outcomes unpredictable."
On April 29, Annalena Baerbock, president of the UN General Assembly, visited Beijing. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi used her visit as an opportunity to emphasize the need to reform UN institutions and establish the UN as a multipolar world government. "China is happy to support you in your continued leadership," Wang said. As German foreign minister in 2023, Baerbock once referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "dictator."
Vuk Jeremic, a former president of the UN General Assembly and now a professor at the prestigious French university Sciences Po, told the SMG talk show that transatlantic ties were forged on the common threat of Soviet Communism. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe enjoyed decades of tremendous prosperity. "In the meantime, quite a lot went wrong. Crises began to pile up," Jeremic said, noting that US ties have been shaken.
Zhang Weiwei, director of the China institute at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the talk show that it will be difficult for Europe to "decouple" from the US. He added that Europe has also missed out on developing the tech-driven industries of the future, the so-called Industry 4.0. "Years ago, people in China believed they could learn from Industry 4.0 in Germany to perfect Chinese industry. Today, no one talks about it anymore," said Zhang. He said China's proposals for Brussels are to become an independent, pragmatic partner of Beijing.
"This has to do with the humiliating way Donald Trump has treated Europe since taking office for a second term in January," Zhang said. "Right now, Europe is taking stock of its situation and realizing that some of its major priorities are simply unattainable without economic and technological cooperation with China."
Source: www.dw.com