Abstract
Relations between China and the European Union (EU) are in a profound state of transition. As one China-specialist observed, ‘The breadth and depth of Europe-China relations are impressive, and the global importance of the relationship ranks it as an emerging axis in world affairs.’1 A former European Commissioner declared in the same vein, ‘We all have to become China-experts.’ Premier Wen Jiabao called the Sino–European partnership ‘mature, balanced and determined’, citing its economic complementarity as solid evidence of further growth. This article evaluates the evolving China–EU relationship and tests its potential to develop into a strategic axis in world affairs. The next section presents a concise historical account of EU–China relations and discusses the drivers that generate expectations of a strategic partnership. The third section elaborates on Europe’s conditional engagement and how it has tried to socialize China with its own norms. Finally, the article takes stock of the extent of convergence with regard to the norms that underpin international politics.
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