April 03, 2018
As it frets over China, Europe is forgetting the real threat: Russia
Moscow poses a deeper, more immediate risk to EU unity.
Europe is right to be wary of China’s growing economic footprint on the Continent. Beijing’s attempts to nudge European policy in a direction that serves its strategic interest — and its selective interpretation of EU regulation — are issues that deserve long-term attention from policymakers. But while China is a concern, Europe should not lose sight of the immediate foreign policy crisis it faces: Russia.
To be sure, Beijing’s influence threatens to exacerbate existing divisions among EU members that already struggle to agree on a common foreign policy. In Eastern Europe especially, China is making inroads by investing in crucial infrastructure projects and could drive a wedge between national governments and Brussels.
China’s growing economic weight is inevitable: As Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, one of the most enthusiastic proponents of Chinese investment, has said, the world economy’s center of gravity “is shifting from the Atlantic region to the Pacific region.” It should not surprise EU-watchers that China is seeking to expand its economic reach into Europe.
Read the full article at Politico
More from CNAS
-
CNAS Insights
Technology & National Security
CNAS Insights | Sovereign AI’s Second Wave Is Coming Into ViewEarlier this year, CNAS launched the Sovereign AI Index to track every government-backed sovereign AI project since 2023. These projects seek to improve a country’s AI self-re...
By Pablo Chavez, Vivek Chilukuri & Ruby Scanlon
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Is AI All Hype or the Real Deal?Anthony Vinci, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins Eyes on Geopolitics to break down the rapidly evolving AI landscape, from China’s grow...
By Anthony Vinci
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Russia Technology Expert Says Ukraine's Drone War Erased the Front Line: Sam BendettSam Bendett, an adviser with CNA's Russia Studies Program, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a Senior Associate with the CSIS Europe, Rus...
By Samuel Bendett
-
Congressional Testimony
Technology & National Security
The Economic Cost of Russia’s War in UkraineSamuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins BBC Audio's World Business Report to discuss how the Russia-Ukraine War has transform...
By Samuel Bendett
