German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became the first EU and G7 country leader to visit China after the outbreak of COVID-19. As Europe’s largest economy, the German leader’s action toward China will undoubtedly send positive signals for building trust and dispelling doubts, and for smoothly promoting China-EU relations in the post-epidemic era.
德国总理朔尔茨成为新冠肺炎疫情发生后首位访华的欧盟和七国集团国家领导人。作为欧洲最大经济体，德国领导人的这一对华动作无疑将为增信释疑、平稳推进后疫情时代的中欧关系释放积极信号。
At present, national security factors have spilled over to many fields such as foreign trade, energy, and science and innovation, and have become important considerations in the formulation of policies in Europe and the United States. Faced with an overall environment of dilemmas in its internal development and the deterioration of the external security environment, there is a tendency for Europe to want to demonstrate its independence by “showing strength” externally. Since the new European Commission took office, it has focused on developing strategic sovereignty, and the EU and its member states have been responding with adjustments in the trade, S&T, competition, industrial, digital, and climate protection fields, among others. They are committed to boosting their raw material and supply chain resilience, as well as diversifying trade partners, and have launched a series of new strategies, including the “Indo-Pacific Strategy.” In terms of China policy, Europe is increasingly emphasizing an “institutional adversary” positioning in its perception of China. It is currently adjusting its strategy towards China, and some of its policy positions may be hardening. China-EU relations are becoming increasingly complex, with the challenges increasing significantly and uncertainties rising.
当前，国家安全因素已经外溢到外贸、能源、科创等诸多领域，成为欧美国家制定政策的重要考量。面对内部发展陷入困境和外部安全环境恶化的整体环境，欧洲出现对外希望通过“示强”彰显独立自主意识的动向。新一届欧盟委员会上任以来重点强调发展战略主权，欧盟及其成员国纷纷在贸易、科技、竞争、产业、数字、气候保护等领域采取调整应对，致力于提高原材料和供应链韧性，实现贸易伙伴的多元化，并推出包括“印太战略”等在内的一系列新战略。具体到对华政策上，欧洲在对华认知上愈发强调“制度性对手”的定位，目前正在着手调整对华战略，部分政策立场或将趋于强硬。中欧关系走向日趋复杂，挑战显著增多，不确定性正在上升。
In fact, national security is a matter of common concern for China and Europe in these times. The Report of the 20th National Congress of the CCP mentions several times the need to coordinate development and security. On one hand, it puts forward the New Development Concept, and deploying high-quality development under the new development pattern; on the other, it systematically explains the national security system under the guidance of the Overall National Security Concept. Many of these policy orientations, including ensuring food security, improving the resilience and security level of production chains and supply chains, accelerating the achievement of high-level S&T self-reliance and self-improvement, and conducting original and leading S&T research based on national strategic requirements, share a common language with Europe’s thinking on strengthening S&T sovereignty. However, a focus on security essentials should not be equated with the politicization of normal economic and trade activities, including foreign investment, nor should it lead to a rise in protectionist sentiment or an increase in related trade defense instruments.
事实上，国家安全是中国和欧洲当前共同关注的时代命题。中国共产党的二十大报告数次提及要统筹发展和安全，一方面，提出新发展理念，部署在新发展格局下的高质量发展；另一方面，系统阐释在总体国家安全观指导下的国家安全体系，这当中的诸多政策导向，包括保障粮食安全，提升产业链供应链韧性和安全水平，加快实现高水平科技自立自强，以国家战略需求为导向进行原创性引领性科技攻关等，都与欧洲加强科技主权等想法有着共同语言。不过，对安全要素的关注，不应等同于将包括外商投资在内的正常经贸活动政治化，也不应导致保护主义情绪的升温和相关贸易防御工具的增多。
From China’s perspective, the Report of the 20th Party Congress reaffirmed the steadfast pursuit of an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, with emphasis placed on high-level opening up to the outside. Faced with the changes in the world, the times, and history, China has adjusted relevant aspects of its strategic layout, and has established a new development pattern in which the domestic great circulation plays the leading role and the dual (domestic and international) circulations promote each other. In the new situation, a key focus of international public opinion is on how to adhere to the development direction of economic globalization and the basic state policy of opening up to the outside. In the Report of the 20th Party Congress, China responded to the “decoupling theory,” which some foreign media are clamoring for, with a principled position of high-level opening up to the outside. It hopes to create an international environment conducive to development and a diversified and stable international economic structure by steadily expanding the convergence of interests, building global partnerships based on equality, openness, and cooperation, expanding institutional openness, continuously improving the quality and level of the international circulation, and jointly cultivating new drivers of global development. There is no doubt that high-level opening up to the outside will also bring more policy dividends to future China-EU relations.
从中国来看，党的二十大报告重申坚定奉行互利共赢的开放战略，重点强调高水平对外开放。面临世界之变、时代之变、历史之变，中国调整了相关战略布局，确立了以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局。如何在新形势下坚持经济全球化的发展方向和对外开放的基本国策，是国际舆论的一个关注重点。党的二十大报告中，中国以高水平对外开放的原则立场回应了一些外媒鼓噪的“脱钩论”，希望通过稳步扩大利益汇合点，构建平等、开放、合作的全球伙伴关系，扩大制度型开放，不断提升国际循环的质量和水平，共同培育全球发展新动能，营造有利于发展的国际环境和多元稳定的国际经济格局。毫无疑问，高水平对外开放也将给未来的中欧关系带来更多政策红利。
At present, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is posing serious challenges to Europe, leading it to face multiple difficulties such as regional war, rising prices, and energy supply tensions. In the face of this changing and chaotic situation, Europe should shift its mindset, get rid of the Cold War mentality, show strategic foresight, and achieve ideological independence. China is committed to building a pluralistic, balanced, and interdependent international structure, advocates upholding the basic norms of international relations, and welcomes the development of Europe into an important stabilizing force in a multipolar world. China and Europe are important trade partners. They have already established a multi-faceted, broad, and multi-level comprehensive strategic partnership, and there is still potential for deepening high-level cooperation. For example, German automotive companies are strengthening their integration with the Chinese innovation system, which can also promote the transformation from “Made in China” to “Created in China.” In green and digital fields especially, although the development plans of China and Europe have their own focus, their strategic agendas are highly compatible. Europe has established green transformation and digital transformation as its priority strategic agenda, hoping that the modernization and transformation of the economy and society in the future will be permeated with and led by green change and digitalization. In the “green” field, it plans to use the green development concept to leverage policy innovation in various domains such as the energy, transportation, and manufacturing industries, and strives to become the first continent in the world to achieve carbon neutrality. In the digital field, it has issued digital strategies, artificial intelligence white papers, cybersecurity strategies, and other digital development strategies, and formulated a series of laws, regulations, standards, and norms. At the same time, China has also made the green and digital directions major components of its economic and social development planning, and the Report of the 20th Party Congress reaffirmed the promotion of “green development” and acceleration of “digital China” construction.
当前，俄乌冲突给欧洲带来严峻挑战，导致其面临地区战乱、物价上涨、能源供应紧张等多重困境。面对变局乱局，欧洲应当转变观念，摆脱冷战思维，展现战略远见，从思想上实现独立自主。中国致力于构建多元、均衡和相互依存的国际格局，主张维护国际关系基本准则，乐见欧洲发展成为多极世界中的重要稳定性力量。中国和欧洲互为重要贸易伙伴，业已建立起全方位、宽领域、多层次的全面战略伙伴关系，在深化高水平合作方面仍有潜力可挖，例如，德国汽车企业正在加强与中国创新体系的融合，亦可推动从“中国制造”向“中国创造”的转变。尤其在绿色和数字领域，中欧发展规划虽各有侧重，但战略议程高度契合。欧洲将绿色转型和数字化转型确立为优先战略议程，希望以绿色和数字化贯穿和引领今后一个时期经济社会的现代化转型：在绿色领域，谋划以绿色发展理念撬动能源、交通、工业产业等多个领域的政策创新，力争成为全球首个实现碳中和的大洲；在数字领域，先后出台数字战略、人工智能白皮书、网络安全战略等数字化发展战略，制定一系列法律、法规和标准、规范。与此同时，中国也将绿色和数字化规划为经济社会发展的一大方向，党的二十大报告重申推动“绿色发展”、加快建设“数字中国”。
In the current complex and changing international environment, China and Europe can not only contribute their own wisdom and solutions to the modernization process, but should also adhere to the positioning of a comprehensive strategic partnership. On a foundation of basic consensus on many issues such as multilateralism, international cooperation, and multipolarity, they should maintain strategic communication, build trust and dispel doubts, jointly address global and international challenges, continuously explore new growth drivers, raise their level of cooperation, and use a robust China-EU relationship to inject more certainty, security, and development momentum into the world.
在当前国际环境复杂多变的背景下，中欧不但可以为现代化进程贡献各自的智慧与方案，而且应当坚持全面战略伙伴关系的定位，基于对多边主义、国际合作和多极格局等诸多问题的基本共识，保持战略沟通、增信释疑，共同应对全球性国际性挑战，不断挖掘新的合作增长点，提升合作水平，以稳健的中欧关系为世界注入更多的确定性、安全性和发展动能。