Ever closer relations between China and Europe over the last decade have sparked speculation about an emerging axis or balance of power vis--vis the United States. China, the European Union and its key member states have expressed a preference for a more balanced international order based on multilateral institutions. Despite a rapid and extensive expansion in economic and political relations between China and the European Union, there is no evidence for balancing against the United States in strategic areas. Rather, the variations in the positions of China, the European Union and the United States can more accurately be seen as policy or interest bargaining. Because the European Union does not share US security interests in the Asia-Pacific region, the European Union and its key member states can seem at variance with the US position on China. Bargaining over the failed attempt to lift the European Union's arms embargo against China shows that the European Union and the United States are not so far apart on strategic issues in the Asia-Pacific.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	China-EU foreign relations, balance of power, multipolarity, strategy
Research Division:	Studies in Human Society
Research Group:	Political Science
Research Field:	International Relations
Objective Division:	Law, Politics and Community Services
Objective Group:	International Relations
Objective Field:	International Relations not elsewhere classified
Author:	Narramore, T (Dr Terry Narramore)
ID Code:	54840
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	7
Deposited By:	Government
Deposited On:	2009-03-01
Last Modified:	2015-02-11
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