As the European Union navigates its strategic relationships with global powers, Gladden Pappin, president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, emphasizes the essential nature of EU-China trade relations. According to Pappin, the longstanding economic ties between Europe and China are crucial and cannot simply be discarded.
“A better sense of European strategic autonomy would enable it to have those different relationships,” Pappin states. He believes that Europe’s strategic interests include the capacity to pursue its own foreign policy, which necessitates a shift in mentality and development in economic and military sectors.
Pappin notes that the trade relationship with China is deeply established and integral to European economies. “We have to reframe the debate and realize that European strategic interests include being able to pursue more of its own foreign policy,” he remarks, highlighting the need for Europe to assert its interests independently.
He also mentions Hungary’s role in advocating for these views within the EU. “Sometimes Hungary is the one that speaks up most clearly. But I know that behind the scenes, other people are beginning to share the same opinion,” Pappin observes. He expresses hope that more EU member states will recognize the importance of maintaining robust trade relations with China.
Pappin’s insights shed light on the ongoing discourse within the EU regarding its position between major powers like China and the United States. As discussions continue, the emphasis on strategic autonomy and acknowledgment of indispensable trade partnerships remain central to Europe’s future policy directions.
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Hungarian expert: EU-China trade relations won't and can't go away
cgtn.com
