ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Polit. Sci.
Sec. International Studies
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpos.2025.1644327
This article is part of the Research TopicChina's Belt and Road Initiative: Strategic Dynamics in the Global SouthView all articles
EU-China Relations in A Post-COVID-19 World Order: The Context of the BRI Project
Provisionally accepted
- Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
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This paper examines the evolving relationship between the European Union (EU) and China in the post-COVID-19 era, focusing on its impact on global geopolitical dynamics. The paper explores the transformation of the international order since 2022, analyzing political, economic, and strategic shifts that define EU-China interactions. Against the backdrop of global developments such as US-China trade tensions and Brexit, the paper highlights economic interdependencies and strategic complexities. A key focus is China's Belt and Road (BRI) Project, assessing its dual impact—fostering (a) development in the Global South whilst (b) influencing European nations in the Global North. The paper also evaluates the implications of BRI and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) memberships, revealing how economic and political factors have shaped EU-China relations since the 2010s era. By addressing ideological divergence and economic cooperation, the paper offers important insights into the shifting contours of global power and the future world order.
Keywords: Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), COVID-19 pandemic, EU-China relations, global governance, Global north
Received: 10 Jun 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Downes and Lai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
James F Downes, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
Kenneth Lai, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
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