Prof.Jiang Feng(Professor of Shanghai International Studies University;former Minister-Counselor at Embassy of the PRC in Berlin, Germany)recently sat for an interview with Guancha,discussing Europe’s role in the great power competition, China-Europe relations, and European Strategic Autonomy.
Prof.Jiang points out that Europe’s approachis pragmatic from a political and governmental perspective, with a clear understanding of its position in the global power structure.He emphasized that the most beneficial strategic choice for Europe would be striking a delicate balance between China and the U.S.
Mentioning Europe’s policy towards China,Prof. Jiang elaborated that Europe’s tripartite labelling of China as a“partner, competitor, and rival”highlight the complexity of China-Europe relations.He explained that labeling China a partner and a competitor connotes that both sides have significant mutual economic interests and could have healthy competition.Nonetheless,negative portrayalsof China as Europe’s ‘systemic rival’ in European media and Parliament are mere malicious slander to influence the European public’s perception of China,resulting wide spread misconceptions about China.
Despite these challenges,Prof.Jiang remained optimistic about the future of China-Europe relations due to their significant economic partnership and China's commitment to multilate ralism and common development, which would help steer China-Europe relations towarda more rational and pragmatic direction.
Prof.Jiang also mentioned significant achievements in high-level diplomacy between China and European countries in 2023, with numerous top-level meetings reflecting a consensus on the importance of China-Europe relations. He noted that cooperation in strategic trust, accurate positioning, and people-to-people exchanges,are crucial for advancing China-Europe relations.
To read. morein Chinese, please visit:https://www.guancha.cn/JiangFeng3/2024_02_19_725593.shtml
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