EU-China co-operation in global governance: going beyond the conceptual gap

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Series Details No.92, April 2017
Publication Date April 2017
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The Royal Institute for International Relations is an independent think-tank based in Brussels. Its interdisciplinary research is conducted in a spirit of total academic freedom. Drawing on the expertise of its own research fellows, as well as that of external specialists, both Belgian and foreign, it provides analysis and policy options that are meant to be as operational as possible.While addressing the key global challenges of the 21st century required increased entente between the European Union and China, their relationship was often plagued by conflicting interests and by the existence of ‘conceptual gaps’: the two entities tended to attach different interpretations to the same notions and concepts. Conceptual gaps between Europeans and Chinese also exist with regard to some key concepts in international relations: sovereignty; human rights; democracy; strategic partnership as well as global governance and multilateralism.

This paper intends to fill the void on the diverging approaches of China and the EU to global governance and multilateralism. It aims to identify ways of overcoming the deadlock that often characterises EU-China co-operation in multilateral institutions and processes due to their differing interpretations of global governance. The paper draws on the perspectives of four Chinese experts of EU-China relations, each of which focuses on a particular policy domain when reflecting on how to render the co-operation of the two sides more effective in multilateral fora.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://aei.pitt.edu/85986/
Related Links
EU: EEAS: Memo, 20.04.2014: EU-China relations, fact sheet https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/8666/eu-china-relations-fact-sheet_en
The Diplomat: China Global Governance https://thediplomat.com/tag/china-global-governance/
Carnegie-Tsinghua, 07.06.17: The Future of Global Governance: Assessing China's Role and Cultivating Young Leaders https://carnegietsinghua.org/2017/06/07/future-of-global-governance-assessing-china-s-role-and-cultivating-young-leaders-event-5599
Reuters, 23.06.18: Xi says China must lead way in reform of global governance https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-diplomacy/xi-says-china-must-lead-way-in-reform-of-global-governance-idUSKBN1JJ0GT
European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: In-Depth Analysis, March 2017: Challenges to Freedom of the Seas and Maritime Rivalry in Asia http://www.europeansources.info/record/challenges-to-freedom-of-the-seas-and-maritime-rivalry-in-asia/

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