The EU’s Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific calls for a “meaningful European naval presence in the region.” What does it mean for vested parties in the South China Sea?

The traditional Western world alignment between the U.S. and Europe has been strained by four years of tumultuous foreign policy. Now, the gravity of China’s rise threatens to drive a larger wedge between the two regions.

Many Central and Eastern European countries are re-considering their geopolitical relationships as China becomes more involved in the region. How might a more balanced and neutral foreign policy change Croatia’s economic and political fate?

European foreign policy often mirrors Washington’s global ambitions. As China’s economic influence strengthens, the Biden administration must consider a new foreign policy to unite the United States and its European partners.

China’s history with Europe stretches back centuries to the age of the Silk Road. Today’s landscape sees China as a global superpower often at odds with Europe’s traditional ally, the U.S. With their own agendas to carry out, each EU-member state sees opportunity, threat, and everything in between when it comes to China.

Who will win the ‘hearts and minds’ of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europeans with well-spent investment – Beijing with the Belt and Road, or Washington with the Three Seas Initiative?

The nations of the ‘European Rim’ face a tough decision in the midst of a post-COVID US-China decoupling – to look east or west for investment and development opportunities? Regardless of the investment sources, the European Rim must prioritize middle class-oriented growth to pursue full employment and economic stability.

It’s too much to expect that Europe will wean itself from America’s security blanket anytime soon. But Trump has provided a wake-up call. European leaders seek strategic autonomy to escape the quagmire of great power competition.

The latest escalation in US-China economic frictions points at worrisome trends. In the short run, US allies may benefit from US-China economic tensions, but serious dangers lie ahead.

The European Council has issued a new definition of China: from the EU perspective, China is simultaneously a political and economic challenger and a partner in multilateral global governance. Through established forums like the G20 and UN, along with new iniatitives like the Belt and Road or the “16+1” format, China and Europe can build on their trade partnership to face common challenges like climate change.