Description
This paper employs Securitization Theory to examine the extent to which China’s rise as an economic player in Europe has become securitized – transposed from ‘ordinary politics’ to a security threat necessitating an exceptional response. In the past few years the EU’s public discourse around the implications of China’s rising economic power has become markedly critical, although terminology such as ‘trade war’ (as featured in US discourse) remains absent. As China’s exports increase, EUropean actors are now starting to articulate perceptions of an economic threat posed by China. The expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and investment in critical national infrastructure has reinforced concerns about national security implications. This is also evident in the discourse around the involvement of Chinese companies investing in high-end technology industries and Europe, and especially the involvement of Huawei – a Chinese telecommunications giant – in the development of networks around Europe, in part due to the potential for espionage. Using discourse analysis, we survey official policy documents, public statements (speech acts) of EUropean leaders and policymakers to ascertain how the intersection of technology and trade relations has been securitized on the European side, and subsequently consider the implications for the broader trajectory of the bilateral relationship.
