The European Union and China: The Logics of 'Strategic Partnership'

Abstract

This article argues that three key logics drive the European Union’s search for a ‘strategic partnership’ with China. The first part develops an argument about the logics of ‘strategic partnerships’ in EU external policy. The second part explores the development of EU strategies towards China since the mid-1990s, with reference to key official documents and statements, and examines the motivations for declaration of a ‘strategic partnership’ with China in 2003. The third part looks at the evidence for such a partnership in EU-China economic and diplomatic relations, and assesses the negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The conclusions revisit and re-assess the arguments, and place them into a broader context.