Abstract

As Europe seeks to gain broader international influence, it is paying more attention to developing new strategic partnerships. Partnerships with China offer it the prospect of greater involvement in Asian affairs without strictly following American policy in a region which Washington considers as its 'private game'. Even if Europeans and Americans share common objectives in dealing with China’s rising power, their approaches differ strongly. Washington seeks to contain China’s growing ambitions and argues that any increase in Chinese military power capabilities, notably weapons imports, would undermine stability in the Asia-Pacific region and heighten the risks of proliferation. On the contrary, EU supports the integration of China into the international community and wants the Chinese leadership to assume greater responsibility for global political and economic stability, including a substantial engagement in global and regional security cooperation.

Marianne Péron-Doise, Naval Officer, is Junior Lecturer at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO) in Paris.