From a China strategy to no strategy at all: Exploring the diversity of European approaches
While there is now new momentum in the relationship between Europe and China, considerable variation remains in approaches across the continent, from clear-cut strategies to more ambiguous policies, complicating a common European position.
In the ninth report since its inception in 2014, the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) gathers analysis on 24 countries plus the European Union to map these different approaches. The chapters of the report tackle a range of questions that weigh on the cohesiveness of a broader European strategy:
- National China strategies: Where do member states and other European countries stand?
- Mechanisms: How do European countries coordinate and share information on China?
- EU tools: Which national instruments exist for implementation?
- Risk analysis: Which approaches do countries take?
- Working with China: In which Chinese institutional frameworks do countries participate?
- Spotlight on Taiwan: What activities exist in this contested space?
Ten years after Xi Jinping took the helm in China, European countries have become more aligned on how to deal with this aspiring world power. However, approaches towards China vary depending on the intensity of relations, the extent and nature of economic dependence as well as attitudes towards the authoritarian government in China. Some have devised national China strategies, some prefer a less public, more decentralized approach, while others do not consider China an important issue for their national politics. The chapters of this report explore this broad diversity.
France: An ambiguous China policy with no clear roadmap
In the report, Ifri’s Marc Julienne explains that France’s China policy is difficult to grasp because it has no clear and centralized roadmap. Diving into the tenets of France’s China policy, Paris intends to preserve economic interests as long as possible, while acknowledging the profound transformation within the Chinese Communist Party. The French China policy is intertwined with the European one, and Paris is even proactive in Brussels to build up new defensive mechanisms. Beyond the bilateral relationship, France is trying to find its own way within the US-China strategic competition, alongside its American ally, but trying to avoid dangerous escalation. Still, the lack of an explicit doctrine and the blurry official communication has led to misunderstandings with partners and allies, and to coordination loopholes within the government.
Discover this and all ETNC reports on the network's website: https://etnc.info/
Available in:
Regions and themes
Share
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
From a China strategy to no strategy at all: Exploring the diversity of European approaches
Author(s)
Marc JULIENNE
Director, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
John SEAMAN
Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Center for Asian Studies
Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.
European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC)
The European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) is a gathering of China experts from a selection of European research institutes. It is devoted to the policy-oriented study of Chinese foreign policy and relations between China and European countries as well as China and the EU. It facilitates regular exchanges among participating researchers with a view to deepening the understanding within the European policy and research community and the broader public of how Europe, as a complex set of actors, relates with China and how China’s development and evolving global role is likely to impact the future of Europe. The network’s discussions and analyses take a decidedly ‘bottom-up’ approach, accounting for the various aspects of bilateral relations between European countries and China, and the points of convergence and divergence among EU member states in order to examine EU-China relations in a realistic and comprehensive way. The views presented in ETNC reports are the sole responsibility of the signed authors and do not in any way represent the views of all members of the ETNC, its participating institutions, nor the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
Quest for Strategic Autonomy? Europe Grapples with the US - China Rivalry
Building on the 2020 European Think Tank Network on China (ETNC) report, which assessed Europe’s positioning in this context, this edition re-examines the geopolitical landscape in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s return to the White House. This report features 22 national chapters and one dedicated to the EU, analysing the evolution of Europe’s relations with Washington and Beijing, the range of approaches to dealing the US-China rivalry and how these are expected to evolve.
France seeks third way between US and China in Southeast Asia
The French leader sent a message of partnership but gave few concrete details on sustained engagement plans.
Mid-term Elections in the Philippines: The Clan War Reaches New Heights
Three years after the last general and presidential elections, Filipino voters once again went to the polls on May 12, 2025, to elect their municipal and parliamentary representatives.
India’s Green Hydrogen Strategy in Action: Policy Actions, Market Insights, and Global Opportunities
India is poised to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy, and this rapid growth is driving a sharp rise in energy demand. As the most populous country on the planet, India urgently needs to decarbonize its energy systems.