ABSTRACT
The heightened Sino-US competition is today a key feature of the new era of great power rivalry. While this rising tension is putting pressure on the transatlantic alliance, it is at the same time straining the EU’s relationship with China. The objective of this chapter is to examine in more detail those elements of the Sino-US rivalry that are most significant to Europe, how the EU perceives these developments, and how it adapts and responds to them. This chapter argues that this rising tension may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as it will force the EU to better define its interests and objectives, to push its line toward more strategic autonomy, and ultimately to move away from being an object of international relations to become a subject in its own right.
