Unlikely Partners?: China, the European Union and the Forging of a Strategic Partnership (Governing China in the 21st Century)

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the relations between China and the EU, tracing the development of this complex, yet intriguing, relationship between two substantially different actors. To uncover a deeper understanding of this unlikely partnership, the authors analyze the partnership through the prism of contending norms and worldviews. The China-EU strategic partnership has evolved through fits and starts but despite continuous trade disputes and severe diplomatic misunderstandings, the EU and China pledge to uphold, even deepen, the partnership. Policy experts and scholars will learn how such contending bilateral relationships can be managed and establish a better understanding of deep-seated conceptual differences between these two entities. Foreword 5 Acknowledgement 8 Contents 9 List of Tables 11 Chapter 1: Unlikely Partners? The EU-China Strategic Partnership in a Changing World Order 12 The Bilateral Dimension of Cooperation 14 The Global Context 15 The Purpose and Motivation Behind Looking into the EU-China Strategic Partnership 17 The Disposition of the Book 19 Notes 21 Chapter 2: Strategic Partnerships: A New Form of International Engagement 22 Strategic Partnerships and the Re-organization of the International System 23 The Surge of Bilateral Partnerships 24 A Significant Historical Context 25 Strategic Partnerships as Descriptive and Constitutive Entities 28 The Descriptive Dimension 29 The Constitutive Dimension 30 Strategic Partnerships in the Light of Contending Theoretical Paradigms 32 Strategic Partnerships Seen from a Power Paradigm 32 Strategic Partnerships Seen from a Social Perspective 36 The Aims and Functions of Strategic Partnerships 37 Strategic Partnerships as Vehicles of Social Interaction on the International Level 38 Strategic Partnerships as Arenas for Bilateral Engagement 39 The Meaning of Strategic Partnerships for the Individual Actor 41 The EU and China as International Actors Seeking to Build Strategic Partnerships 42 The EU 42 China 44 Notes 46 Chapter 3: The Development of EU-China Relations 52 The Establishment of Formal Relations 52 Resumption of Relations: Renewed Cooperation Toward a Structured Engagement 54 The Brief Honeymoon and Subsequent Awakening to a More Realistic Engagement 57 The Strategic Partnership in the Wake of the Economic and Financial Crisis 60 Recent Developments in EU-China Relations 63 Stumbling Blocks in the EU-China Strategic Partnership 65 The EU’s Arms Embargo 66 The Market Economy Status 68 The Human Rights Dialogue 70 The EU’s Internal Lack of Cohesiveness 72 Prospects of the Relations Between the EU and China 73 Notes 74 Chapter 4: Europe, China, and the Diffusion of Norms 81 A Differentiation of Norms for States: Internal and External 83 China and the EU: Normative Power in Comparison 86 Normative Encounters in China-EU Relations 91 Internal Norms Engagement: Human Rights and Sovereignty 91 External Norms Engagement: Multipolarity Versus Multilateralism 94 Normative Divergence, Convergence and the Making of the China-EU Strategic Partnership 97 Norm Diffusion in the EU-China Strategic Partnership in Perspective 100 Notes 101 Chapter 5: China, Europe, and Normative Preferences on Sovereignty and Human Rights 107 How Do the Chinese and Europeans See Sovereignty? 108 How Do Chinese and Europeans See Human Rights? 113 Where Do China and Europe Stand on the Sovereignty–Human Rights Continuum? 117 When Can (or Cannot) China and Europe Stand Together on Sovereignty and Human Rights Issues? 123 Standing Against Each Other: Taiwan, the Arms Embargo, Tibet, and Military Interventions 123 Standing with Each Other: Hong Kong, Human Rights Dialogue, and Crises in Third Countries 126 When and Why Are China and Europe Flexible on Sovereignty and Human Rights? 130 Intransigence and Flexibility in EU-China Relations 134 Notes 135 Chapter 6: European and Chinese Perspectives on the International System 143 China’s Outlook on the International System 144 The EU and the International System 148 What Kind of Actor? China as a Player in Global Politics 151 What Kind of Actor? The EU as an International Actor 155 Contending Visions of Power 158 China and EU’s Strategic Partnership in a Multipolar System 164 The EU and China as Actors in Global Security 166 Notes 167 Chapter 7: Relations Between the European Union and China in a Future Perspective 174 The EU-China Strategic Partnership Evaluated on Three Different Levels 175 Is the EU-China Strategic Partnership an Outlier? 179 The Relationship Between Strategic Partnerships and the Multilateral Order 181 Bolstering the Strategic Partnership: How and to What End? 182 Notes 184 Bibliography 186 Index 203 Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Unlikely Partners? The EU-China Strategic Partnership in a Changing World Order....Pages 1-10 Strategic Partnerships: A New Form of International Engagement....Pages 11-40 The Development of EU-China Relations....Pages 41-69 Europe, China, and the Diffusion of Norms....Pages 71-96 China, Europe, and Normative Preferences on Sovereignty and Human Rights....Pages 97-132 European and Chinese Perspectives on the International System....Pages 133-163 Relations Between the European Union and China in a Future Perspective....Pages 165-176 Back Matter....Pages 177-203