U.S. President Donald Trump waits to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the entrance to the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC on February 27, 2025.
Carl Court | AFP | Getty Images
Tensions between the United States and Europe have suffered very low damage in recent weeks – China may be expected to use the quarrels to strengthen its ties on the African continent.
Last week, the transatlantic rally led a disastrous meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It started out as a potential signing of a major mineral deal, ending with a public shouting game.
Trump also repeatedly threatened tariffs on EU imports and said the group “constituted the United States.” Meanwhile, Vance slammed Europe at a Munich security conference last month, saying he was concerned about “internal threats.”
This pressure in the so-called “special relationship” has made Beijing an unexpected ally and advocate for Europe, with Chinese Foreign Minister visiting the continent last month urging closer ties and more cooperation.
Alicja Bachulska, a policy researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC.
Wang said that after both the EU and Ukraine were surprised by our peaceful negotiations with Russia. At the Munich Security Conference, China hopes that all parties can participate in peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “Because war is on European land, Europe needs to play a role in peace,” he reported on Reuters.
For Beijing, according to TENEO Managing Director Gabriel Wildau, expressing support for Europe’s role in Ukraine’s peace talks is a “low-cost approach” that can show its respect for the EU and “a stark contrast to Trump.”
“As its investment and trade policies show, China aims to have a strategic impact on Europe,” Ian Bremmer, president of political risk consulting firm Eurascancy Group, told CNBC via email.
No longer “slave” to Americans
Analysts say China will be exempted from Europe from pressure from the United States to impose sanctions and restrictions on Beijing as Trump doubles its trade protectionist policy.
European history is widely consistent with U.S. trade policies aimed at protecting Western technological innovation and its economic interests.
Take the Dutch chip equipment manufacturer ASMLfor example, the sales of its advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment have been Restricted by the Dutch government Follow U.S. export controls.
“As per the U.S. requirement, many Europe restricts China’s requirements, which is part of the conquered price … and relies on the U.S. for defense,” David Roche, strategist at Quantum Strategy told CNBC during the call.
“Europeans may be hit by (potential tariffs), but they will no longer be slaves to Americans,” Roche said.
Teneo’s Wildau said the pressure on Europe was “not easy” and that the breakdown of the transatlantic alliance could benefit Beijing.
Europe needs help
According to Wilton, an example of a change in trade policy could be the current tariffs on Chinese vehicles in the EU.
The European automotive industry has always been Under increased pressure With the transition from electric vehicles, competition from China and now the threat of U.S. tariffs, automakers are fighting multiple headwinds.
Roche suggested that China’s cooperation could help Europe make the parts needed for its electric vehicles, allowing the group to catch up with technology and achieve its sustainability goals – just one gap that China could fill.
“The reality is that in the broadest sense, Europe must find alternative markets for the United States and China to help,” Roche added.
President Trump’s recent move has aroused European leader, Friedrich Merz of Germany Tell In a speech after last week’s party victory, the public broadcaster showed that the United States is now “indifferent” to Europe’s fate and that his priority is Europe to “achieve independence from the United States.”
“The key question here is whether the traditional business relationship between Germany and China will be viewed in the same way as other member states, and Melz’s comments will not be drawn to Beijing’s comments,” Thanos Papasavvas, founder and chief investment officer of ABP Invest, told CNBC via email.
Still the same China
Some analysts say it is unclear how much progress can be made in a long-standing tension between Europe and China.
“After all, this is still with China that the EU has to deal with in the past few years – China that supports Russia, China threatens European industrial powers, and China imposes sanctions on European officials and civil society organizations,” said Bashurska of the European Commission on Foreign Relations.
Ultimately, Beijing’s efforts to restore relations with Europe are aligned with its broader goals to weaken the West by undermining the bond between Europe and the United States, Bremmer of the Eurasian Group added
“The transaction policy accepted in Washington is rather an openly hostile predatory policy that Europeans will not be expelled from the United States,” he said. “If this trend continues, the transatlantic partners will move towards division.”
