EU plans to punish China for trade with Russia – FT
RTMAY 2023
While the EU continues to hold its multifaceted policy stance towards China, it's difficult for Beijing to reciprocate and manage the bloc's conflicting stances of confrontation, cooperation, and competition. Although China highly values its relationship and future potential with the EU, Beijing will also not cater to Europe at the expense of its own sovereign interests.
China's policy toward Europe has been based on dismissing the strength of European values and underestimating the unity seen in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In reality, Beijing only views Europe as diplomatically useful in its potential to be drawn away from the US. However, while China continues to believe in the pull of its economic power, it forgets the strength of principled European beliefs.