The rise of China and EU vulnerability

For well over a decade, the rise of China is increasingly affecting global balance of power. Keohane and Nye’s classic work on interdependence explain that asymmetrical an important source Yet China’s exercise power affects EU in more complex manner than US. Even if it is integrated political system, has specific features that can exhibit distinct vulnerabilities. This article substantiates how uses three types of power (compulsory, institutional ideational), through various means ranging from FDI, disinformation, cyber-attacks, bypassing elected representatives, to reach targets (critical infrastructure, civil society, national governments), affect several policies (transport, telecommunication, health, border control, higher education). Beijing’s foreign policy its neighbourhood represents attempt take advantage EU’s vulnerabilities (its diversity, uncertain cohesion legitimacy requirement) with ultimate consequences weakening relevance institutions and democracy. The paper suggests resilience, context examined here, relies key aspects: (1) its member states ability to identify multilevel, multiform often intertwined threats Chinese foreign economy (and strategic autonomy) democracy; (2) EU member states’ achieved inter alia appropriate level of stringency use duty loyalty, (3) strengthening of EU integration external differentiation.