China and the EU: A Tale of Two Summits

COVID-19 has accelerated shifting dynamics in EU-China relations.

This was the second EU-China summit after the March 2019 publication of the European Commission’s paper “EU-China – A strategic outlook,” which labeled China as a “systemic rival.” The paper recognized that “the balance of challenges and opportunities presented by China has shifted” and pointed out that China promoted “alternative models of governance” to those of the EU.

Since the 2019 joint statement was agreed to there has also been backsliding on human rights in China, including the arbitrary detention of foreigners and deeply concerning reports on the treatment of ethnic minorities.

However, China’s rather clunky propaganda left a bad taste, especially since European leaders were asked to be discreet about the aid they sent to Wuhan at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article was written by Theresa Fallon

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