Towards a common European China strategy?

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The majority of EU Member States do not have any formal China strategy papers. Some EU Member States and specific government ministries have adopted internal China strategies and guidelines that have not been officially released to the public. Commonly referred to as ‘China strategies’, these documents outline national positions on China, rather than concrete strategies for managing bilateral relations. Other countries are at various stages of formulating a China strategy, while some have published Indo-Pacific/Asia strategies, which include a focus on China. Many, however, are unlikely to publish China-specific policy documents in the near future. Some countries have not published a policy document on China due to a variety of reasons. These can range from lacking capacity and resources to differences in political priorities. Others might choose to adopt only internal strategy documents because they do not wish to make their position public, as this might give away too many insights on government thinking, or could have negative effects on the relationship with China.

The China-specific policy documents of EU Member States should be seen as part of a wider evolution in China policy, expressed through various policy papers beginning from the EU-China  Strategic Outlook through to the most recent German Strategy on China. In keeping with the Strategic Outlook’s framing of China as a competitor, partner and systemic rival, they help shift emphasis in the wider European discourse towards the ‘competitor’ and ‘rival’ side of the equation. The publication of Germany’s China strategy drives forward the debate and exists in an ongoing conversation with past policy documents and strategies to come.