Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. This combination of pictures created on May 14, 2020, shows recent portraits of China's President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump. Jim Watson, Peter Klaunzer/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump's tariffs on U.S. allies and rivals, along with his relationship with of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have fueled doubts in Europe about America's reliability while presenting China with an opportunity.
Why It Matters
Former President Joe Biden fostered closer transatlantic coordination with Europe on China, aligning with Brussels in viewing Beijing as a military challenge and an economic threat because of overcapacity in key industries.
Biden maintained tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of Chinese goods imposed during Trump's first term, while the European Union raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, despite China being the bloc's largest trading partner.
China has again been hit with tariffs under Trump, including last week's blanket tariff hike to 20 percent, but so too has Europe.
Trump has announced 25 percent tariffs on EU auto imports and tariffs on European steel amid his broader skepticism of the EU. He has voiced distrust toward the bloc, claiming it was formed to disadvantage the U.S. economically, echoing his broader criticism of global institutions.
What To Know
As the U.S. withdraws from international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and Paris Climate Agreement, and an 83 percent cut to USAID, observers suggest these moves position China to expand its global influence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has sought to frame Beijing as a stable and reliable global partner in contrast to Washington, recently calling the U.S. "two-faced."
"China and the EU jointly make up over one-third of the world economy, and the cooperation between the two has a greater strategic value and global influence," Wang said Friday, adding that "China remains confident in Europe and believes Europe can be our trustworthy partner."
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China's embassy in the U.S., stressed Beijing prioritizes "win-win cooperation" in its trade relations.
"Protectionism has no future—openness and cooperation are the right way forward," he told Newsweek.
Despite this outreach, China remains at odds with EU leadership and many member states over human rights concerns and ties with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and seeks to limit diplomatic engagement with.
European officials are also concerned over Chinese material support for Russia's war against Ukraine and have sanctioned a number of Chinese companies and individuals over their role in facilitating trade in civilian-military dual-use items.
Newsweek reached out to the EU Commission, the U.S. State Department, and the White House with emailed requests for comment.
What People Are Saying
Noah Barkin, senior adviser at the Rhodium Group's China practice, wrote on Friday: "What is clear is that Europe will need to develop its own approach to China, distinct from that of the Trump administration.
"Europe will become more aggressive in defending and promoting its own industry, as China and the United States have done, even if World Trade Organization rules are stretched to the breaking point. [...] But the dream of a 'like-minded' group of liberal democracies that work in tandem to develop a common market and compete with China is over."
Sean King, Asia scholar and senior vice president at Park Strategies, told Newsweek : "Among Europeans' chief concerns about U.S. President Trump is a fear he'll abandon Ukraine for Russia. Why then, would Europeans drift any closer to Beijing whom they rightly see as Moscow's enabler in the Ukraine war?
"If anything, in light of U.S. estrangement, I'd expect sensible European governments, especially the Nordics, Baltics, and U.K—to draw closer to countries like Canada—other like-minded democracies around the world, and to each other, in hopes of 'making Europe great again.'"
Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote last month: "Economically, Europe and China, both export-focused economies, are in firm competition with each other. Both China and Europe strive to be global leaders in the clean technology sector, for instance, and Chinese overproduction is threatening European industrial champions, particularly in the auto sector.
"Nevertheless, China may offer market access opportunities that may entice Europe to soften its approach toward Beijing. Europe's instinct may become more skeptical of alignment with the United States on China policy, which in turn may lead to more tension."
What Happens Next
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukrainian officials.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 4:49 AM.