Why does EU change its policies towards China under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative?
Author
Yang, Ce
Term
2. Term (Master)
Education
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-05-12
Pages
46
Abstract
This thesis examines why the European Union has changed its policies toward China against the backdrop of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which since 2013 has become a key framework for cooperation and investment between China and Europe. It traces the EU’s shifts from a more supportive stance in the early years and a 2016 Parliament document, to a tougher approach in 2019 that labeled China a “systemic rival,” and the launch of the EU’s own Global Gateway connectivity strategy in 2021. Using geoeconomics and neoclassical realism as theoretical lenses, the analysis explores drivers of these changes, including material power, economic gains, security concerns, and the role of the United States. Illustrative cases such as the China Railway Express and investments in the Port of Piraeus and the Budapest–Belgrade railway show BRI’s geopolitical and economic salience in Europe. The thesis argues that the EU simultaneously views China as a strategic partner and a systemic competitor, shaping its evolving strategy over time. Despite tensions, the study indicates ongoing scope for cooperation under BRI and Global Gateway if both sides can balance values, regulations, and mutual interests.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvorfor EU har ændret sine politikker over for Kina i lyset af Kinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), som siden 2013 er blevet en central ramme for samarbejde og investeringer mellem Kina og Europa. Afhandlingen kortlægger EU’s skiftende linje: en mere positiv og samarbejdsorienteret tilgang i de tidlige år og i et parlamentsdokument fra 2016, en markant strammere kurs med betegnelsen “systemisk rival” i 2019, og introduktionen af EU’s egen globale forbindelsesstrategi, Global Gateway, i 2021. Med geoøkonomi og neoklassisk realisme som teoretiske perspektiver analyseres drivkræfterne bag kursændringerne, herunder materiel magt, økonomiske gevinster, sikkerhedsbekymringer og den amerikanske faktor. Eksempler som China Railway Express samt investeringer i Piræus havn og den ungarsk-serbiske jernbane illustrerer BRIs geopolitiske og økonomiske betydning i Europa. Afhandlingen argumenterer for, at EU samtidig ser Kina som både strategisk partner og systemisk konkurrent, hvilket har formet skiftende strategier over tid. Selvom relationen rummer spændinger, peger analysen på vedvarende muligheder for samarbejde under BRI og Global Gateway, hvis parterne kan balancere værdier, regler og ømsidige interesser.
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