Europe’s incoherent ‘China threat’ posture is a threat to itself

The China-threat" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="168748" data-entity-type="topic">China threat has landed in Brussels. A new European Union position paper accuses Beijing of amplifying security threats, posing “a critical long-term strategic challenge” and reviving “sphere-of-influence logic” to reshape the global order.Beijing is cast as an enabler of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while its “assertive behaviour” in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea threatens European and Indo-Pacific security, stability and prosperity. The document, “Common Understanding: The Threats and Challenges We Face”, was approved by foreign ministers on July 13 among a long list of decisions.The paper does not replace the policy adopted in 2019, when Brussels defined China simultaneously as partner, competitor and systemic rival. Instead, it places that formula beneath an overriding judgment: Beijing represents a long-term security challenge.