Key facts
- EU foreign ministers have issued a joint assessment labeling China a 'critical long-term strategic challenge'.
- The assessment warns that China's actions threaten the EU's economy, security, and values.
- EU ministers accuse China and Russia of seeking to reshape the global order and establish regional dominance.
- The document highlights China's 'asymmetric advantages' over the EU, including trade imbalances and control of critical raw materials.
- Beijing's assertiveness and competition with the US are expected to increasingly impact the EU's security and economic resilience.
- The EU has set an October deadline to rebalance trade ties with China due to concerns over overcapacity.
European Union foreign ministers have issued a stark warning, describing China as a 'critical long-term strategic challenge' that threatens the bloc's economy and security. In a joint assessment, ministers accused Beijing of seeking to reshape the global order in line with its interests, fostering a return to a sphere-of-influence logic, and acting as a 'key enabler' of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The ministers highlighted China's 'asymmetric advantages' over the EU, including trade imbalances and control over critical raw materials, which they believe Beijing is willing to use as leverage. This assessment comes as the EU faces increasing pressure from Chinese overcapacity, prompting the bloc to set an October deadline to rebalance trade ties. The document also notes that China and Russia are deepening their 'strategic partnership,' linking security threats from Europe to the Indo-Pacific.