CHINA-EU RELATIONS UNDER XI JINPING: A NEW CHAPTER

Abstract

This article addresses the developing state of China-EU relationship under the reign of President XI Jinping. It maintains that the trajectory is largely being determined by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is swelling Chinese footprint in the West Asia, and that Beijing has gradually been augmenting its investments through commercial and soft power initiatives. There is no geopolitical rivalry between the two entities. However, Brussels continue to harbor concerns over Beijing’s tight control over the domestic political space. The issue of human rights continues to be a substantial divergence. The gradual retreat of Washington also recalibrates the equation of this relationship.