Today’s edition begins with an introduction by Grzegorz Stec. Greg is the head of the Mercator Institute for China Studies’ (MERICS) Brussels office. He is a leading voice on EU-China relations as well as being a friend and former colleague of mine. – Thomas
Professor Jian's piece underscores a shift in EU-China relations. The "cold politics and hot economics" dynamic of the past years is changing, indicating that economic relations are also heading into a cooler period.
However, this change predates the EU’s adoption of its de-risking approach, which is a symptom of the challenges besieging these relations, not a cause. The EU’s policy towards China has evolved gradually from an embrace of win-win rhetoric through calls for a level-playing field and reciprocity, to developing a policy toolbox aimed at mitigating risks and market distortions as dialogue with Beijing failed to sufficiently address them. Criticism of the EU's de-risking strategy overlooks its underlying rationale: to isol…