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 | U.S.-China AI Agreements Need Verification, Not TrustThe upcoming Trump-Xi summit is likely to disappoint the leaders of top AI labs that have recently called for urgent, coordinated pacing of frontier AI progress. While agreeme...
By Ruby Scanlon & Janet Egan
-
Reports
Technology & National Security
The AGI MomentIntroduction The age of AI is upon us. What that means is not yet clear. As general-purpose AI capabilities continue to march toward human-level performance across a range of ...
By Paul Scharre
-
CNAS Insights
Technology & National Security
CNAS Insights | America Must Expand AI Export Controls Amid Talks with ChinaThe path forward is to lengthen the United States’ AI lead by expanding, not weakening, technology protections, starting with closing three priority gaps: remote access, adver...
By Michelle Nie & Daniel Remler
-
Commentary
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
Sharper: China's AI RiseArtificial intelligence has become a strategic priority for Beijing and Washington, yet both countries continue to pursue dramatically different strategies in their bid for gl...
By Charles Horn & Cadence Barker
