MERICS Report: Profiling relations of European countries with China

MERICS' new publication which is part of our EU-funded "China Horizons – Dealing with a Resurgent China" project focuses on profiling the relations between European countries and China. As part of the project, MERICS has developed a database of over 50 indicators on Europe's relations with China, focusing on the economy, political relations, security and society. The main trends are summarized in a series of profiles which will in turn feed into an audit of EU Member States' and the UK's resilience vis-à-vis China. 

In the first set of country profiles, our experts Francesca Ghiretti, Helena Legarda and Abigaël Vasselier focus on France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. These countries are going through a phase of rethinking their engagement with China following the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

While becoming more realistic and pragmatic in their dealings with Beijing, their capacity to deal with risks and vulnerabilities often is limited by a dominating debate about economic opportunities. European countries continue to compete for opportunities to do business with and in China and to attract Chinese investments.

The cases of France, Germany and Italy highlight the correlation between intense trade and economic relations with a high degree of vulnerabilities. At the same time, the space for a European offensive agenda vis-à-vis China, pushing its economic and political interests, is shrinking.