ABSTRACT
China and Europe are key international players, and the EU–China relationship can be seen as the most important economic relationship in the world. The two sides are each other's largest trade partners and major investment partners – Europe is also one of the most important sources of technology for China. EU–China and Russia–China relations differ significantly, but one can identify some common features. Both the EU and Russia perceive China within a similar framework of opportunity vs threats. For Russia, in recent years, the threat perceptions of China have minimalized, as China provides the opportunity to balance the collapse in relations with the West. For the EU, it has developed in the opposite direction, and China is increasingly being seen as a “rival” and a “challenge”, and sometimes openly as a threat. For China, the EU and Russia are key international actors with whom it seeks to develop cooperation in ways that would contribute to China's strategic interests, primarily in terms of balancing the power of the United States and establishing the multipolar international order.
