Europe’s Pivot to Asia

In regard of China, economic relations seem to be more important to the EU than freedom and democracy. Is Europe still a reliable partner in the transatlantic alliance? Or will the Brussels-Berlin-Beijing axis dominate?

Differences within the western alliance concerning China emerged in the controversy around the origins of COVID-19 but now even more through the Hong Kong crisis. The United States and some anglosphere allies are calling out China for its breach of the 1984 agreement guaranteeing the city’s autonomous status, and Washington has already announced initial steps to respond to Beijing’s treaty violations. In contrast, the European Union has indicated its intention to do little or nothing, while Germany, about to assume the EU presidency, sees no reason to interrupt its plans to expand its already robust trade relations with China. The trans-Atlantic breach has become a function of al ...