In the last decade, the European Union's trade with China has increased dramatically. In 2021, the EU exported €223 billion worth of goods to China and imported €472 billion. For the EU, relations with China are of great importance; It is a major source of supplies for consumer and technology products, a huge market for European companies, and a major investor.
The high volume of trade between China and the European Union and also with the United States seems to have to be affected by the consequences of the covid, the war in Ukraine, and the struggle between the United States and China for world hegemony.
However, it is not so. Although the tensions between these two countries for geopolitical, economic and security reasons are permanent, in 2022 trade between them reached an all-time high. US imports from China rose to $536 billion, while US exports were only $153 billion.
The new global reality has exposed weaknesses that the EU had hidden. Among them, the lack of political unity in the common European project, the economic and technological dependence of China and the US and the inability to have its own defense policy. The EU must be clear that it has major differences with China, but also that its interests do not always coincide with those of the United States. Therefore, it is vital that the EU regains its political, economic, technological and security sovereignty. For historical and cultural reasons and because of the economic model, the EU has to maintain a good partnership with the United States, but also with the other peoples of the world, including China and Russia, despite the deep differences that exist.
Between the EU and the United States there is a very different vision of how relations with China should be. The United States sees it as a direct rival in the economic and technological field and as a military threat that tries to change the current world order, which is why its economy and its capacity for technological innovation must be curbed. On the other hand, from Europe, despite recognizing that China is a competitor and a rival from which it is necessary to protect itself, China is seen as a very important country with which understanding and collaboration must be sought.
The objective of the EU is to achieve the economic and social progress of its citizens within a framework of European security, collaboration with all peoples and respect for nature. In order to defend its interests and play a role in the global arena, the EU must seek to move towards multilateral governance and a new world order based on responsible globalization that is respectful of all peoples.
