From a Partner for Cooperation to a Systemic Rival for De-risking: Evolution of the EU’s perception of the rise of China (2016–2020)
Journal: Journal of Nationalism Memory & Language Politics
Year: 2025

Abstract In 2015, the EU-PRC Summit agreed to “develop cooperation on defense and security.” The EEAS even emphasized that the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with the PRC was its “immediate priority.” However, in 2019, the EU officially defined the PRC as “a partner for cooperation,” “an economic challenger,” and “a systemic rival” to the EU.” According to all surveys, European unfavorable views of China have risen sharply since 2018. This paper illustrates and explains the fast evolution