« The Impact of the EU’s Conditional Engagement on China » par Jonathan Holslag

The Impact of EU’s Conditional Engagement on China

To help China’s rise on the world scene, Europe is guiding its development with conditions and cooperation. Europe is an engine of this growth through massive investments, trade and helping Beijing to open up through diplomatic relations.

The old continent wants to influence China in a way that is beneficial to its own interests. A large number of these interests are common between the EU Member States, such as democracy, human rights, international affairs and environmental conservation. Nonetheless, China does not want to be dependant on Europe. Despite EU efforts, China’s growth is harming Europe’s interests.

The EU-China policy:

Many issues concerning China raise common concerns among EU Member States. All of the policies that the EU institutions want to put in place need the unanimous consent of EU Member States. Even though the EU commission is in charge of negotiating with China, national representatives are involved to make sure their states’ agendas are respected.

The EU Member States share several aspirations.

First of all, the quest of opening-up the Chinese market to achieve a more liberal economy. The EU has invested a significant amount of money to help China achieve WTO standards and to help with the side effects of economic reform.

Cultivation of democracy and respect for human rights are the subject of nine specific projects of European states. This reflects the common aims of those states. The European Commission promotes human rights by supporting legislatives reforms, regularisation of political procedures, review of administrative laws and practice, understanding of laws and legal processes by citizens, development of a grass-root democracy and experiments with direct suffrage.

Europe is pressuring Beijing to advance human rights policies, but this issue is causing friction: China is frustrated by the maintenance of arms embargo and is using that issue to justify a slow evolution regarding this specific request.

Finally, the EU also wants to make China a peaceful stakeholder on the international stage. Particular attention is given towards the role of Beijing within international forums. The EU wants effective multilateralism; there is the need for a more constructive role by China within the bodies of the United Nations as well as a non-proliferation role regarding nuclear programmes.

It appears that Europe wants to impose its own values and norms on the Asian giants.

EU Conditional Engagement Policy:

Europe exerts pressure on China through economic cooperation.

The Asian giant is interested in obtaining scientific and technological expertise that is necessary to pursue economic development. Europe being China’s biggest IT supplier, appeals have been made by Beijing for Europe to have a greater participation in its promotion, and to ease restrictions on high-tech exports.

Europe uses its diplomatic power to try to influence Chinese policies through the lever of external trade, which is a crucial device in EU common foreign policy. Europe attracts China with significant economic opportunities, but seeks to impose unwelcome measures through embargos or import barriers. The impact of those measures is limited due to fact they do not take into account substantial exports of dual-use goods.

Other instruments of pressure are the supportive policies and dialogues, which individual states and the European commission can implement. For example, there can be individual trade promotions that influence China directly.

Moreover, the Chinese government wants Europe to help increase their external sovereignty, which would have an internal effect as well on legitimising the power of the Party in place. One of China’s aims is to weaken US hegemony, and it has

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