Illustration: Liu Rui/GT
The China-EU summit to be held on Tuesday in Brussels is a good opportunity for the two sides to deepen trust and dispel misunderstandings.
There are growing concerns about China in the EU, though the bloc admits that cooperation with China is important. The Joint Communication to the European Parliament, EU-China - A strategic outlook, released by the European Commission on March 12 features such contradiction. The report candidly states the importance of cooperation with China. At the same time, it regards China as "an economic competitor in the pursuit of technological leadership" and "a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance." China was asked to assume "greater responsibilities for upholding the rules-based international order" so that the two sides could achieve "a more balanced and reciprocal trade and investment relationship."
We can see that the EU's concerns encompass mainly four areas. First, the competition brought about by China's rapid economic development. The EU once considered China a supplier of labor-intensive products and a market for high-end European goods as well as a developing country that needed help and guidance from Europe. But now, China is the world's second-largest economy with increasing competitiveness and investment abroad.
Second, China has caught up with and even surpassed the EU in some fields of technology, particularly in information network, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles, just to name a few. In a dilemma on whether to use Chinese tech giant Huawei's 5G technologies, the EU found itself already lagged behind and cannot give up Huawei.
Third, Europeans are confident that only market economy, democracy and the Western model can prop up sustainable development. However, China's consistently rapid economic development on a different path in the past four decades has shocked them and shaken their confidence.
Fourth, concerns about the so-called European split. It is quite normal for China to develop relations with any of the EU's 28 member states. But some Europeans do not think so. They are accusing China and Italy of signing memorandum of understanding on cooperation within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, because they believe it is a move to divide Europe.
Europe's growing concerns about China lie in its uneasiness over China's rise, but mainly result from the continent's misunderstanding of the Asian power. In the fields of economics and high technology, some Europeans focus merely on China's competitiveness but ignore the cooperation. Even if competition does exist, there are plenty of opportunities for collaboration and negotiation. China's proposals including cooperation with third countries and the BRI are aimed at alleviating Europe's concerns.
Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an agreement for the purchase of 300 Airbus planes during his visit to France, a manifestation of the Chinese market's significance to EU. China's development will not pose a threat to Europe, but will benefit both sides.
The EU has never recognized China's system and development pattern since the two sides established diplomatic relations. And the bloc has always fantasized about changing China's system through economic cooperation. This is an obvious misunderstanding in Europe's mind-set.
China follows its own development model and it will never abandon its principle to accommodate Europe's preferences. The continent must clearly understand the reality and change its way of thinking. In this diversified globe, Europeans must learn to fit in with different cultures and different governance patterns.
The theory that China is "dividing" Europe is apparently an overanxious response. The EU is a regional bloc with 28 sovereign states. Why can't China carry out bilateral cooperation with any of them?
Could President Xi sign the Airbus deal with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker? The answer is no. The business agreement can be negotiated only with France, home to Airbus headquarters.
It is unreasonable to accuse China of splitting Europe on account of the BRI MOU between Beijing and Rome, because that is the lawful right of the two sovereign states.
Eliminating those misconception is a key factor in current China-EU relations. Xi's meetings with EU leaders during his visit to Italy, Monaco and France in March were a strategic move to alleviate EU's concerns and strengthen cooperation between the two sides.
There should be not only competition but also cooperation and coordination between China and the EU. The two sides need to actively cope with challenges, coordinate on disputes, and seek more new collaborative opportunities, so as to assure stable and long-lasting ties.
The author is a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
