PREAMBLE
Xi Jinping is in Paris holding talks with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
There are reasons why Beijing continues to value its relationship with Paris despite of growing difficulties which remain largely the same since a 2022 paper penned by Zhang Jian (张健) who articulated the problems.
About the “Frenchification of the EU” in early 2022, Zhang Jian has written relatively enthusiastically on the concerned issues.
He recently stated that, “After the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine, the ‘Europhiles’ [led by France] have arguably lost their power, while the ‘Atlanticists’ have gained the upper hand. This change is not short-term, but structural and long-term, and will be difficult to change in the foreseeable future.”
Highlighted in this post are the key points to the article:
The Frenchification of the European Union and its impact
as an excerpt from Zhang Jian (张健) in the edition of
Contemporary International Relations (现代国际关系), Feb. 2022, No.2
Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU was undergoing a process of “Frenchification”, with more and more French ideas being translated into EU policies.
With the UK out of the EU, distrust of the US rising and the EU’s leadership staffed with Macron allies, France’s sway over the European Union increased substantially.
If the EU has become more “integrated”, “geopolitical”, “protectionist” and “autonomous” in recent years, it is largely due to French efforts.
But France’s influence over the EU should not be overstated. Major disagreements with Germany exist, pushback by the Nordic and CEE Atlanticists is strong and Washington is doing what it can to stymie Paris’s proposals.
An EU modelled more closely after France's vision would prevent it from becoming a vassal of the US and would allow it to have a relatively independent and cooperative approach towards China.
Moreover, the mere prospect of closer EU-China
cooperation, would help keep America’s hegemonic behaviour in check.
European strategic autonomy is largely about increasing the EU’s independence from the US.
That being said, an EU with a more geopolitical and protectionist mindset is sure to exacerbate the competitive aspects of its relationship with China, be they economic or political.
The Author
Name: Zhang Jian (张健)
Year of birth: N/A
Position: Vice president of the MSS-affiliated China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) and director of its Institute of European Studies (Zhang has been an analyst at CICIR since 2003).
Research focus: European integration; the European Union; EU-US and EU-China relations
Education: PhD Wuhan University (2003)
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