China-EU Photo: VCG
In March 2019, European Union (EU) presented its strategic outlook for dealing with China. The outlook has three specific objectives, 1) deepen engagement, 2) more balanced and reciprocal conditions for economic cooperation and 3) adopt to the changing realities and strengthen its base. The objectives reinforce the desire of EU to further strengthen its relationship with China. However, EU also declared China as a "strategic rival" and a "strategic competitor", which is appalling. Strategic rival means EU consider China as a threat to their ideology. It is difficult to understand, what EU desires, on one hand it wants to deepen relationship and on the other hand it is considering China a strategic rival.
Germany is trying to break this cycle of confusion. It has scheduled a meeting between President Xi Jinping and the EU leadership for September 2020,in an effort to diffuse misunderstanding and bring China and EU closer. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has dimmed the certainty and it is unclear whether the meeting will be carried out as per schedule.
Meanwhile, USA also has released, its strategic approach, on May 20th, 2020 which is the same old wine in a new bottle. The document has all but a set of claims and misleading information about China threatening the world peace and USA being at a security risk. The approach aims to achieve four objectives, (1) protect the American people, homeland, and way of life; (2) promote American prosperity (3) preserve peace through strength; and (4) advance American influence", which are taken from US National Security Strategy, 2017.
USA has launched a multifaceted strategy to achieve these objectives. It has introduced different policies and tools, like the Pivot of Asia, Group of Four, Indo-Pacific and many others. It is pursuing its allies to confront or abandon China. In pursuance of this policy USA ..
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