The “de-risking” of relations with China has become an organizing principle for the European Union (EU) since it was first put forward by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in March 2023. As is often the case with the EU, however, what is said in Brussels is not always understood in the same way across the continent. This report edited by Patrik Andersson and Frida Lindberg of the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) analyses how 21 EU member states and the United Kingdom view de-risking from a national context.
Each chapter is written by China experts who broadly set out to address the same set of questions with respect to their own country:
- What is the country’s standpoint on the EU’s approach to de-risking?
- Which China-related risks is that country most concerned about?
- Has the country’s standpoint on de-risking resulted in any concrete measures?
- How does that standpoint affect the country’s views on or approach to China?
