The Eu China Relationship

This book draws together leading experts to examine the key issues in China-EU relations. China-EU relations are increasingly complex and affected by a number of inter-related factors, such as China’s global rise, growing China-US strategic competition, US global withdrawal, the transatlantic split, the China-Russia comprehensive "alliance," and Brexit. The book highlights the struggles of both China and the EU to look for a dynamic and durable mode of engagement in an attempt to achieve the balance between opportunities and challenges, and between partnership and rivalry. International contributors explore how to conceptualise China-EU relations and identify their differences and commonalities such as the EU’s role in China’s foreign policy process and how the EU works with China as a strategic partner. Finally, it analyses China’s and the EU’s perceptions of their own present and future roles. Shedding light on the perspectives of understanding and change in China-EU relations and its impact on multilateralism, it will appeal to researchers and professionals working in International Relations, International Political Economy and area studies who are interested in the rise of emerging powers and the changing world order.

This accessible text offers a comprehensive analysis of the European Union (EU)-China relationship, as one of the most important in global politics today. Both are major players on the world stage, accounting for 30% of trade and nearly a quarter of the world's population. This text shows how, despite many differences in political systems and values, China and the EU have developed such a close, regular set of interactions at multiple levels: from political-strategic, to economic, and individual. The authors start with an historical overview of the domestic politics and foreign policy apparatus of each partner to show the context in which external relations are devised. From this foundation, each key dimension of the relationship is analysed, from trade and monetary policy, security, culture and society. The authors show the relative merits of different theoretical perspectives and outline what is next for this complex, ever-changing relationship. At every step, the success of each partner in persuading the other of changing their position(s) for key strategic interests is explored. What emerges is a multifaceted picture of relations between two sides that are fundamentally different kinds of actors in the international system, yet have many mutual interests and a common stake in the stability of global governance. The first major text to offer an accessible introduction to the multifaceted nature of EU-China relations, this book is an ideal companion for upper undergraduate and postgraduate students on Politics, International Relations and European Studies courses.

This book examines the political factors in the economic relationship between the European Union and China that help to explain the apparent stalling of the EU-China strategic partnership in policy terms. Written by two specialists with long experience of EU-China relations, this new volume draws on the latest research on how each side has emerged from the economic crisis and argues that promising potential for EU-China cooperation is being repeatedly undermined by political obstacles on both sides. The work is designed to be an analysis useful for university faculty and students interested in China and the European Union as well as for the general reader, providing an empirically-led examination that is academically informed and yet also approachable. Dissecting key policy areas such as trade, research and innovation, investment, and monetary affairs, the conclusion offers a compelling prognosis of how the EU-China relationship might develop over the coming years.

This book brings together 30 papers commissioned from 2011 to 2013 by the EU-funded Europe–China Research and Advice Network (ECRAN). These papers, thematically grouped in sections on economics, society and politics, were written by some of the world's leading China experts in Europe, and give a European perspective of this complex relationship. The papers provide a broad overview of how Europeans see the key challenges currently faced by China and Europe as well as a unique insight into the related policy aspects of the vexed and complex relationship of the two largest trading partners in the world. The EU–China Relationship: European Perspectives is written in a highly pragmatic manner, focusing on specific political, economic and social issues that impact on international relations. It is an essential EU toolkit and policy handbook for academics and policy makers in government and business who are engaging with China, not just in the EU but across the world. Contents:China and the EU: The General Context:Chinese Internal Views of the EU (Gudrun Wacker)The Chinese Five Year Programme (2011–2015) and Europe 2020 (Roderic Wye)China's Green Economy and EU–China Cooperation (Jørgen Delman and Ole Odgaard)Chinese Internal Politics and the EU:China: The National People's Congress (Roderic Wye)The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC): Its Role and Its Future (Jean-Pierre Cabestan)The Role of Chinese Soft PowerThe Situation of Lawyers in the PRC (Nicholas Bequelin)Cadre Training and the Party School System in Contemporary China (Frank N Pieke)The Role of Think Tanks in China (Nicola Casarini)Public Consultations in China (Jasper Becker)Chinese International Relations:An Assessment of EU–China Relations in Global Governance Forums (Giovanni B Andornino)China's Response to the US ‘Return to Asia’ Tour (Andrew Small)BRICS: A Cohesive Grouping? (Sylvia Hui)China–Pakistan Relations (Gareth Price)The Chinese Reaction to the March 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami and the Nuclear Aftermath (Caroline Rose)China–Vietnam Relations on Maritime Borders (Marianna Brungs)Patterns of China–Russia Cooperation in Multilateral Forums (Neil Munro)Competing Claims in the South China Sea: Assessment and Prospects (Philip Andrews-Speed)The Impact of the Arab Revolutions on China's Foreign Policy (Ben Simpfendorfer)China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Amy Studdart)Reappraising Chinese Engagement in Africa (Ian Taylor)China's Energy Policy Towards Central Asia (Bobo Lo)China and Latin America (Rhys Jenkins)China's ‘Non-Policy’ for Afghanistan (Bernt Berger)China–Burma Relations (Marianna Brungs)China and Southeast Asia (David Camroux)The Changing Politics of Nepal (Gareth Price)China and Russia's Competition for East and Southeast Asia Energy Resources (Philip Andrews-Speed)The Chinese Economy:The Liberalisation of Chinese Financial Markets (Vilem Semerak)Investment Provisions in China's Free Trade Agreements (Christopher M Dent)Bond Issuance by Local Authorities in China (Vanessa Rossi)The Role of Shadow Banking in Chinese Business (Sandrine Lunven)Family Businesses in ChinaWhere Does China Stand in the Eurobond Debate? (Vanessa Rossi)Innovation in China (Alice Rezková)Chinese Investments into the EU Energy Sector (Hinrich Voss)Chinese Overseas Acquisitions: The Nokia Siemens/Motorola Case (Marc Laperrouza)The Chinese Middle Class (Paul French)Tax and Pensions in China (Stuart Leckie and Rita Xiao)Waste Management in ChinaChinese social Issues:Social Unrest in China (Jude Howell)The Recent Labour Unrest in China and the Politics of Handling Collective Mobilisation by the Party-State (Eric Florence)Urbanisation, Rural-to-Urban Migration and Housing in China (Bettina Gransow)Land Acquisition in China (Staphany Wong)China's Food Security (Robert Ash)Suggested Further ReadingIndex Readership: Academics, policy makers, business and government agencies interested in International and Bilateral relations concerning China and Europe. Key Features:Written by some of the most experienced and best known experts on various aspects of China in EuropePolicy makers in business and government institutions will find the book highly accessible as it is geared towards policy proposals, and the content is well-structuredNo other currently available work on this subject combines these qualitiesKeywords:China;Europe;Politics;EU;International Relations;Economics;Asia

EUROPEAN STUDIES: An Interdisciplinary Series in European Culture, History and Politics -- Contents -- Authors in this Volume -- Introduction -- THE CONTEXT OF EU-CHINA RELATIONS AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS DILEMMA -- Eu-China Relations: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives -- The Development of Eu-China Relations -- The Eu and China in the Context of Inter-regionalism -- Duality - Dialogue - Discourse: Some Perspectives on Human Rights in Eu-China Relations -- Sport and Politics: The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games -- ASPECTS OF THE GEO-POLITICAL SETTING OF EU-CHINA INTERACTION -- China Views Europe: A Multi-polar Perspective -- The European Union and China: Indian Perceptions and Perspectives -- Russia's Closer Ties with China: The Geo-politics of Energy and the Implications for the European Union -- The European Union, China and the United States: Complex Interdependence and Bi-multilateralism in Commercial Relations -- The European Union's Economic Ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan) -- ISSUES - POLICIES - PERCEPTIONS -- China, News Media Freedom and the West: Present and Future Perspectives -- Trade and Investment in the Relations Between the European Union and the People's Republic of China -- Eu-china Foreign Direct Investment: A Double-sided Perspective -- China's Search for Energy Security and Eu-China Relations -- Recent Chinese Practice In the Maintenance of Maritime Security and the European Experience -- Conclusions: Towards an Eu-China Research-Agenda 2010

This edited volume analyzes the changing nature of the relationship between China and Europe. This relationship has been subject to significant shifts and transformations, not least because of the enormity of China's social and economic development since1978 and the political consequences this has brought about in international politics. The global financial crisis of 2008-09 and the subsequent sovereign debt emergency in Europe have also altered the nature of the interactions between the two regions. China has become a more assertive, confident, and active player on the global stage. Its economic development is now a major pillar of the global economy and its growth has been conducive for a fragile economic recovery to take place in Europe and beyond.

In 25 years, EU-China relations have come far, further than many could have imagined - but how much further can these relations be taken? Today, their bilateral relations are at a crossroads. In effect, it has been 25 years since the EU and China agreed upon the legally binding Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement, which sets the basis for their diplomatic relations. In an ever increasingly complex and globalised international environment, these actors have become mutually interdependent on a variety of levels. In 2007, they agreed to revise and update the 1985 accord and replace it with an all-encompassing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. However, more than three years passed, and there are many points of contention which need to be negotiated. What obstacles are blocking this agreement? How can these obstacles be overcome? What concessions should be made and where? This book will provide an up-to-date analysis of the problematic concerns, and the means to resolve these issues, that range from human rights, to international trade conflicts and climate change.

An exploration of the role of the news media in the development of EU-China relations after the end of the Cold War, this book provides empirical evidence to support what Nye and Anholt have argued: that branding a country's image is soft power. The author examines the nature of European Union and China coverage in Chinese and European news media respectively and explores how the economics, politics, and journalistic practice interplay in shaping the coverage. Based on this analysis, the author delves into the relationship between the news media and their foreign policy toward each other in terms of both the general direction of policy-making and the policy in a specific issue area. Including not only content analysis of media coverage, but also has first-hand interview materials with the officials involved in the decision-making process and the journalists involved in reporting the EU and China, the book sheds light on the way in which the media construct the post-Cold War world and therefore play a role in transforming international relations.