The problems with China’s efforts to patch things up with Europe: ‘there are limits’ - South China Morning Post

"The two main strategic aims for the EU in the coming years are to become autonomous militarily and to preserve its economic competitiveness," said Frans-Paul van der Putten, founder of the Dutch advisory firm China Geopolitics. 

"The deal highlights how important these aims are – without defence autonomy and strong economic competitiveness the EU is highly vulnerable to negative effects from US-China relations."

The dynamic of a Europe that is more and more determined to push back against a resolutely stubborn Chinese system has the hallmarks of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object – an ancient paradox that centuries of thinkers have failed to resolve.

Faced on the other side with an ever more hostile United States, the EU's option looks even worse. The other deal Trump has reached, with Britain, suggested that Washington will be looking for its partners to choose it over Beijing by cutting Chinese firms out of supply chains.

China, on the other hand, wants Europe to choose it, emphasising its stability and predictability in the face of Trump's caprice.

Article by Finbarr Bermingham. Click here to go to the article on the SCMP site.