Brussels: The European Union’s latest strategic assessment on the bloc’s security priorities and rapidly-changing geopolitical scenario has slammed China for seeking to increase its influence in Europe and positioning itself to win systemic competition, combining industrial scale, technological ambition, and global reach while exploiting instability.
In the document titled ‘Common Understanding – The Threats and Challenges We Face: Assessment of the EU’s Strategic Environment’ released earlier this month, the European Union (EU) noted that China holds “asymmetric advantages” over the EU through its technological advances and trade imbalances, making it a “critical long-term strategic challenge.”
“China positions itself to win systemic competition, combining industrial scale, technological ambition, and global reach while exploiting instability. China’s asymmetric advantages with the EU, from trade imbalances to critical raw materials to technological advances in some areas, along with its willingness to use this as leverage against the EU and others in pursuit of its ambition of becoming the world’s leading power, makes China a critical long-term strategic challenge,” it mentions.
The document also pointed to the deepening strategic partnership between Russia and China, which it said will continue increasing the interconnection of the strategic theatres from Europe to the Indo-Pacific.
The EU stated that China’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine is a “crucial enabler” for Moscow. It mentioned that Beijing will continue to make efforts to increase its influence in Europe.
“At the centre of this transformation lies the determination of some powers, Russia and China foremost among them, to establish regional dominance and reshape the global order in line with their interests, fostering a return to a sphere-of-influence logic. This effort is sustained and systemic, underpinned by long-term investments in military capabilities, aspirations of technological superiority, and use of economic leverage. These actors exploit deep and often asymmetrical interdependencies to coerce perceived adversaries,” the paper mentions.
According to the paper, the increasing ambitions and assertiveness of China, along with strategic competition currently defining US-China ties, will increasingly impact the security, competitiveness, economic security and resilience of the EU.
It mentioned that a “stronger and more capable” EU in the field of security and defence will contribute positively to global and transatlantic security and is complementary to NATO, which remains, for those States that are members of it, the foundation of their collective defence.
“Enhanced cooperation with like-minded and other partners on security and defence is increasingly important for the EU to navigate in this new strategic environment,” the document reflected.
(IANS)
