“China has several concrete reasons for wanting to improve its relations with the United States and Europe”

D.At the beginning of October, during the inauguration of the new Center for China Analysis of the Asia Society, Henry Kissinger explained in his speech that the diplomatic and political consequences of the catastrophic Russian war in Ukraine could push Beijing to temporarily seek to stabilize its relations with the United States and the West. This heating could be felt shortly after 8pm^And Chinese Communist Party Congress, October 16.

China’s efforts to stabilize (but not normalize) its relations with the United States could come to the fore when long-awaited Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping meet at the G20 summit in Bali in November. The war in Ukraine is turning out to be far worse for Russia than China feared a month ago. And Beijing is well aware that its tacit diplomatic support and continued economic support for Russia are damaging its position on the world stage.

Today Beijing has several concrete reasons for wanting to improve its relations with the United States and Europe. His home economy is facing difficulties that have not been seen for decades, due to the Marxist turn in economic policy, the demographic headwinds and the confinement of several large cities in the name of the zero Covid strategy. In light of these difficulties, the Chinese government is relying on trade, investment and capital flows to maintain growth. And Europe is its main trading partner, followed by the United States.

Offensive Charm

Diplomatic relations between the European Union (EU) and China have been severely shaken by Beijing’s proximity to Moscow, with Beijing refusing to politically condemn the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s flagrant violation of the UN Charter. This refusal exacerbates political tensions between Europeans and Chinese. For the record, in 2021, after Europe condemned human rights violations committed in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the Chinese applied sanctions against several European officials. These tensions torpedoed the comprehensive investment agreement between the EU and China. Added to this are Chinese coercive measures in response to Lithuanian policy towards Taiwan and the rise of China’s aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy. As a result, the view that Europeans have of China has considerably clouded over the past few years.

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