On November 30, 2022, the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) organized an event with the presentation of Professor Lilei Song. Professor Song works at the School of Political Science and International Relations, she is a Deputy Director of European Research Center, and a researcher of German Research Center at Tongji University and a Think Visegrad Fellow at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. She gave a public lecture at IFAT on the European Strategic Autonomy and the Perception of China. The moderator of the event was Viktor Eszterhai, Senior Research Fellow at IFAT.
Professor Song first introduced the concept of European strategic autonomy. She explained that this strategy primarily referred to the EU’s security policy and was based on the idea that the EU should pursue an autonomous foreign policy in its own interest. In Chinese academic circles, the prevailing view is that it is in the common interest of the member states to achieve full strategic autonomy of the EU. Prof. Song emphasized that in the current competition between China and the U.S., cooperation between China and the EU would be mutually beneficial. China has an interest in ensuring that the European Union does not have to choose between itself and the United States. The war between Russia and Ukraine shows that Russia wants to change the international order and that this threatens the functioning of all international institutions. The war has shown that the EU must be able to defend its own territory on its own. And the rise of Euroscepticism and populism are also factors, that signal to the EU leadership that it needs to become stronger. Strategic autonomy can be an important goal in this regard.
Strategic autonomy brings with it a number of challenges and difficulties. The Union’s challenges will lead to security problems because there is a large gap between the Union’s willingness and ability to achieve strategic autonomy. The EU must continue to live in the shadow of U.S. defense capabilities. Professor Song concludes that the EU is still in the process of achieving its strategic autonomy, but that it can achieve that successfully in cooperation with the great powers of a multipolar order.
During questions from the moderator and the audience, the lecture discussed whether strategic autonomy necessarily entails a weakening of transatlantic relations. The interpretation of strategic autonomy beyond its geopolitical aspects was discussed, as well as the potential for EU-China cooperation in a multilateral frameworks.
Photos by: Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT)