This policy brief argues that EU–China narrative contestation should not be understood as a direct, symmetrical competition between two equivalent geopolitical actors. While both China and the EU seek to shape global understandings of order, governance, development, and security, they do so from fundamentally different institutional and political positions. China’s strategic narratives are more centralised and state-driven, whereas the EU’s communication is dispersed across institutions, member states, civil society, private companies, independent media, and other actors. Rather than treating this plurality simply as a weakness to be corrected through imitation of China’s model, the brief argues that the EU should turn its distinctiveness into a strategic asset, while remaining alert to the risks of fragmentation, inconsistency, and weak coordination.
The brief examines three dimensions of EU–China narrative contestation: the content of their narratives, the channels through which they are circulated, and their reception in two separate domains. It cautions against simplistic claims that China is “winning” or that the EU merely needs to “speak with one voice.” Instead, it proposes that the EU embraces strategic pluralism: coordination without uniformity; plurality without incoherence.
Recommendations for the EU:
- Do not imitate China’s centralised model. The EU’s potential advantage lies in institutional checks, independent media, civil society, and open debate.
- Make EU narratives audience-specific, varying between regions and societies.
- Connect communication to a policy offer: the EU needs to show what cooperation with Europe delivers in practice.
- Position the EU as the partner that helps preserve choices. The EU should avoid “choose us, not China” messaging. A stronger message is that cooperation with Europe helps countries avoid overdependence, diversify partnerships, and preserve room for manoeuvre.
- Invest in listening, not only communication. This should go beyond disinformation monitoring and include public opinion surveys, media analysis, and elite discourses.
The policy brief was originally published by Ghent University as part of Reconnect China Policy Brief.
