The development of Sino-European relations from a trading relationship into a strategic partnership

Abstract

Sino-European relations were formally established 45 years ago, and this relationship has been a fruitful yet challenging one for both sides. Trade has been at the core of this partnership since 1978, and to this day, the legal framework of this partnership is the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 1985. However, the relationship between the European Union and China could never be exclusive to trade when taking into consideration the international arena in which it exists. Since the 1990s both sides started deepening their cooperation in politics, Peace and Security, and People-to-People Exchanges. These were the first steps taken which led to the launch of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2003. Since then the EU and China have been regarded as Strategic Partners and in 2013, they jointly launched the 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation which is the highest form of commitment expressed by both sides for their Strategic Partnership. However, the impact of this Agenda remains heavily under researched regardless of its significance to the Strategic Partnership. The main aim of this dissertation is to contribute towards addressing this gap by answering the main research question: “Has the 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation provided the basis for increased cooperation in the Strategic Partnership between the EU and China?”. In order to fully answer this research question, this dissertation takes on a qualitative approach. Furthermore, it seeks to understand cooperation between the EU and China in the areas of Peace and Security and People-to-People Exchanges since the beginning of the partnership up until 2019. It ultimately concludes that the 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation has indeed provided a strong basis for increased cooperation between the EU and China. It is also concluded that cooperation between the EU and China is an ongoing process which is heavily influenced by international, bilateral and domestic aspects. The Agenda has provided the basis to accommodate this increased and ongoing cooperation.