Flurry of visits to China seen as pragmatic shift

The beginning of 2026 has witnessed a diplomatic surge from Europe to Beijing, which experts say signals a growing willingness for pragmatic cooperation with China.

In recent months, leaders from the United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, and other European nations made consecutive visits to China. Notably, the British prime minister's trip marked the first such visit in eight years, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is the first foreign leader that China has received in the Year of the Horse.

Experts cited a combination of economic pressures and a desire for stability amid global uncertainty as key drivers behind the diplomatic push.

Cui Hongjian, director of Beijing Foreign Studies University's Center for European Union and Regional Development Studies, noted that European countries are facing economic headwinds and need to bolster international cooperation.

"China is a firm supporter of free trade and an open economy," he said. "This year also marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), during which China has signaled further market opening, high-level cooperation, and boosting domestic demand. This holds significant allure for European partners."

Alongside economic attraction is the geopolitical push. The 2026 Munich Security report, warning about the world entering the "wrecking-ball politics" era, shows Europe's concerns.

Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, said that pressure from the United States has posed significant political and strategic challenges for Europe."Strengthening ties with China, an important international actor, helps Europe to hedge against external pressure from the US," Jian said.

Cui said China's consistent advocacy for improving global governance through multilateralism and providing global public goods offers a contrast to more disruptive approaches. "This makes Europe willing to seek dialogue with China, to find more sense of security and space in the current turbulent situation."

High-tech collaboration

During the recent visits by European leaders, economic collaboration took center stage. These leaders were accompanied by sizable delegations of business representatives, and their itineraries featured visits to leading Chinese high-tech companies.

Cui noted that a return to prioritizing economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges is both a demand and a trend for both sides.

China and the EU are each other's second-largest trading partners. According to Chinese customs statistics, the EU is China's largest source of consumer goods imports.

The two sides also maintain close ties in high-tech sectors, with the EU being China's second-largest source of high-tech imports and third-largest export market. High-tech products account for over a quarter of the total trade between China and the EU.

Cui believes the overall framework for China-Europe economic and trade cooperation has remained positive and stable.

While acknowledging that the traditional model of European technology and capital in exchange for Chinese markets and labor is evolving, he stressed that a new complementary partnership can be forged. "If we can successfully navigate this innovative economic cooperation, trade will undoubtedly remain the ballast of China-Europe relations," Cui said.

While acknowledging differences still exist between China and Europe, experts said prioritizing cooperation will drive positive developments.

"Europe's view of China is becoming more pragmatic," Jian said, "but different interest groups within European countries could lead to varied stances on China, meaning the relationship will likely advance amid an alternation of cooperation and contradiction."

Jian called for increased bilateral coordination and the use of established mechanisms to resolve trade frictions. He warned against the dangers of "pan-securitization and pan-politicization" and protectionism, which could severely damage healthy economic competition.

Cui noted that fluctuations in European policy toward China are likely to occur. However, he argued that if both sides can address disagreements and problems within a cooperative framework, the negative impact of policy fluctuations on the relationship will gradually decrease.

Experts also emphasized that the significance of stable China-Europe relations extends far beyond the bilateral sphere.

"China and Europe are two of the world's major economies. As long as they jointly uphold free trade, they can effectively curb the current tide of protectionism," Cui said. He said that as major actors in international relations, a stable China-Europe dynamic can stabilize major-power relations and serve as a positive example for others.

yangran1@chinadaily.com.cn