No Common Ground: A Spatial-Relational Analysis of EU-China Relations

Abstract

It is no secret that EU member states cannot come to terms on a unified China-policy. Most studies on EU-China relations come to the conclusion that disagreement exists and that this fragmentation is utilized by Chinese foreign policy in a kind of divide and rule strategy. However, the question as to why the EU members disagree has not been answered satisfactorily. This paper investigates the reasons for this discord from the perspective of the core-periphery theory. We illustrate how the spatial position of nations within Europe–in a geographical and political sense–shapes their outlook on China. As a case study to illustrate the differences in the outlook on China of among EU member countries, we analyse the discourses on Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in the Hungarian and German press from April 2020 until summer 2021. We argue that these differences have their grounds in the spatial-relational positioning at either the core or the semi-periphery of the EU. Based on our findings we suggest that a sustainable EU China-policy has first to address these differences in foreign policy outlook and then find a common ground.

Tensions In Eu-China Trade Relations: The Impact Of China's Competitive Advantage In Strategic Industries”

“…From research (Levy & Révész, 2022). As a case study, they looked at discussions about China's COVID-19 vaccine in Germany and Hungary in 2020 and 2021.…”

The Pandora's Box of Fudan Hungary

“…3 Indeed, the semi-Daedalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences The Pandora's Box of Fudan Hungary peripheral position of Hungary has long been a cause for concern among the country's political elite, and in many cases, there was a choice, perceived or otherwise, between Eastern or Western alliances. 4 Moving further along the line set by the prime minister to welcome collaboration with the East, a major actor in Hungarian financial policy, Norbert Csizmadia, hailed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP), a historic free-trade agreement signed by fifteen Asia-Pacific nations in 2020. In an opinion piece for a Hungarian business newspaper, he framed the agreement in the following manner:…”