Europe and China in International Conflict Management

Rivals and Partners

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States and Europe have been the leading actors in global conflict management. China is currently emerging as the third major player in global security governance. Much attention is given to the strategic relationships of the United States with Europe and China. However, in order to understand how the global security landscape is changing, the relationship between Europe and China should also be taken into account. Both Europe and China are permanently represented in the United Nations Security Council and have substantial economic and diplomatic influence in parts of the world far beyond their own regions.1 This chapter focuses on the roles played by China and Europe in managing regional security crises in Africa and the Middle East.2

1.On current developments in the relationship between the UN Security Council and the EU, see: Daniele Marchesi, ‘The EU Common Foreign and Security Policy in the UN Security Council: Between Representation and Coordination’, Regional Integration & Global Governance Papers 3 (Bruges, College of Europe 2008).
2. For a recent publication on the overall response of the EU (and the United States) to China’s influence in Africa, see: Asteris Huliaras & Konstantinos Magliveras, ‘In Search of a Policy: EU and US reactions to the growing Chinese presence in Africa’, European Foreign Affairs Review, No. 13 (2008) pp. 399-420.