Description
The debate on European strategic autonomy which emerged in the early and mid-2010s related primarily to European strategic autonomy vis-à-vis the United States (US), although it also reflected a more general view that Europe needed to be an autonomous global actor in its own right. Since then, the debate on European strategic autonomy has become intertwined with Europe’s relations with China and what is sometimes viewed as a Europe-US-China strategic triangle. For Europe – both individual states and the EU – the China question and the Europe-US-China strategic triangle now pose major foreign policy challenges. This paper will explore the debate on European strategic autonomy as it relates to European relations with China and to how Europe seeks to position itself in the Europe-US-China strategic triangle. The paper will argue that both European states and the EU are now seeking to reduce their economic and technical dependence on China and that Europe and the US are finding that they have significantly more in common with one another than with China – both trends which are likely to continue.
