Reuters
Eurasia Expert published a text of a meeting about the chances that the European Union will be able to conclude a trade agreement with China to the satisfaction of Washington.
In the meeting with Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lao Institute of China at the Royal College of London, Kerry Brown:
In December 2020, Brussels and Beijing concluded negotiations on an investment agreement that would lead the parties to “more balanced business and trade opportunities”. However, in both the European Union and Washington, there is growing opposition to the upcoming deal. Brown assessed whether Europe was able to reach an understanding with the Chinese and American sides, at the same time.
How has the ongoing trade war between China and the United States affected the international relations system and the world order?
Coronavirus has pushed the trade war aside. Now it really depends on its economic impact. If China continues to grow well, and the United States, Europe, and other countries plunge into recession or even depression, then the parameters of the 2017-2020 trade struggle will change. The most pressing question will be to what extent the United States and other major economies are able to resolve their political differences with China in a way that increases their economic ties.
After COVID-19, the cost of isolating China will rise. And if countries want to do so, they must understand that they will have to pay for it, and even live with it.
What will change in US-China relations under the Biden administration?
The Biden administration may take the difficult path followed by Trump and to some extent Obama before him, that is, prioritizing China as the most important geopolitical issue. But in terms of diplomatic tone and multilateral action, there will be differences.
But for Biden, the question will be to what extent countries and organizations such as the European Union are compelled to make concessions in some areas important to the United States for economic reasons. Thus, we can see, from now, with the possibility of a trade agreement being concluded between the European Union and China in the next few days, that this causes cracks in relations with the United States. These events are likely to become more common.
The article expresses only the opinion of the newspaper or writer
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