In the recent past, China has had to confront the growing perception in the West that it is now a big-time rival engaged in "douzheng", the memorable Chinese word used by the European Union (EU) ambassador in Beijing.

"Douzheng" or "斗争" can be translated into "struggles". It was widely used last century in China to describe the attitude adopted against "class enemies" or "counter-revolutionaries." It is certainly an exotic way for Ambassador Nicolas Chapuis to characterize the tough negotiations between China, on the one hand, and Europe and the United States, on the other.

Two years ago, the U.S labeled China a "competitor seeking to erode U.S. security and prosperity," and in a new strategy document published this year, the EU sought to steer a middle path, calling China both a partner and a competitor.

"China is, simultaneously, in different policy areas, a cooperation partner with whom the EU has closely aligned objectives, a negotiating partner with whom the EU needs to find a balance of interests, an economic competitor in the pursuit of technological leadership, and a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance," the document said. 

Confusing? Well, CGTN's The Point with Liu Xin, sought some clarity from the ambassador.

Chinese business gains in Europe

What kind of relationship does the EU really want with China, which has always insisted that what it sincerely desires is win-win cooperation?

Chapuis noted that the EU will in 2020 mark 45 years of engagement with China, during much of which they have been partners, but the landscape has changed in the past five years or so.

China's ambitious private sector has made extensive forays into European territory during that time, he said, competing "everywhere" for contracts. 

Feathers in the EU business sector have no doubt been ruffled as a result.

"Competition is good if it is fair," the ambassador said. "The question is how do we ensure it is fair."

Chapuis insisted that it was China which had first used the twin concept of partner and rival, or as he put it, "competitor and struggling," at which point he invoked the Chinese word, "douzheng".

Host Liu Xin interjected that China portrays the fight as not one against countries or blocs but forces that see it as an enemy and against which China needs to "douzheng", and that its primary approach to international relations is essentially about cooperation.

Largest trading partner

China did set its EU position in a policy paper of its own last December. "As major participants in and contributors to world multi-polarity and economic globalization," the paper said, "China and the EU share extensive common interests in upholding world peace and stability, promoting global prosperity and sustainable development and advancing human civilization, making the two sides indispensable partners to each other's reform and development.

"The EU has been China's largest trading partner for 14 years in a row and China the EU's second largest trading partner. Developing a sound relationship with the EU has long been a foreign policy priority for China."

And that relationship has remained strong into the first five months of this year, with bilateral trade volume up 11.7 percent from one year earlier to 1.9 trillion yuan (about 276 billion U.S. dollars) or 15.7 percent of China's total trade volume, official data shows. 

"Against the backdrop of rising trade protectionism, the stable development of China-EU economic cooperation plays a pivotal role in stabilizing the global economy," Liang Ming of China's Ministry of Commerce told Xinhua in June.

After Liu's "douzheng" intervention, the ambassador sought to separate the Chinese government, which with the EU is engaged in seeking collaboration and compromise on a range of issues, from the private sector where there is intense competition.

It is fiercest in the sensitive area of 5G, with Chinese company Huawei reporting recently that more than half (28) of its 50 contracts for the next-generation technology are with European operators.

It is this type of success by Huawei that has infuriated the United States which has sought to put curbs on the company citing unsubstantiated national security grounds. 

Chapuis noted that the Chinese telecoms giant and two European operators – Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson – are the top three 5G manufacturers. 

Amid the competition debate, there are areas in which China and the EU have collaborated in a big way, such as climate change, nuclear issues involving Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and new rules of global trade.

New investment law

China is also pushing ahead with the further opening up of its economy to accommodate investors from the EU and elsewhere.

After approving the landmark Foreign Investment Law aimed at providing stronger protection and a better business environment for overseas investors earlier this year, the authorities vowed to encourage investment from abroad in the advanced manufacturing and modern service industries and multinationals to establish headquarters or research and development centers in state-level economic and technological development zones.

But Chapuis said there were concerns among European businesses that the pace of implementation by China was not fast enough and that local governments in the country are not necessarily "walking the talk" of the central government.

The two sides also have major differences, he continued, on such sensitive issues as global governance, industrial subsidies, technology transfers and human rights.

How can they be narrowed? "Is it through 'douzheng' – struggle – or is it through partnership, discussion, cooperation?" the ambassador mused.

Both sides would clearly prefer the latter approach.

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