Editor's note: The 24th China-European Union (EU) summit is set to take place in Beijing on December 7-8. This marks the first in-person China-EU summit since 2019, featuring the presence of European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and EU High Representative Josep Borrell who will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in two separate sessions. Ahead of this crucial summit, CGTN's Sr. International Editor Abhishek G. Bhaya spoke with Erik Solheim, former Undersecretary-General of the United Nations and Vice President of the Green Belt and Road Development Coalition, to gain insights into the complexities of China-EU relations and its larger geopolitical implications. The views expressed in the video are his own and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Edited excerpts:

CGTN: How do you see the current state of China-Europe relations and its impact on the global order?

Erik Solheim: We should do a lot more to improve the Chinese-European relationship. They have deteriorated somewhat in the last three years, partly due to COVID-19 (pandemic) and partly due to geopolitical tensions. There's so much to be achieved if Europe and China can work together as forces for economic development to solve the climate and environmental problems, and to resolve some of the major conflicts of our time.

CGTN: There is a growing perception that European countries have started to lack independence in their foreign policy, particularly when it comes to China and Russia, and are seen as vassal states of the United States. Could you provide some examples of this perceived lack of independence and its impact on European foreign policy decisions?

Erik Solheim: I very much subscribe to the idea of the French President [Emmanuel] Macron who said that Europe should look for strategic autonomy. This means that Europe is a third entity – it's not China, it's not the United States – and it should look for how it can play its role.

China and the U.S. are separately the two biggest economies in the world, but if you merge Europe together, it's also a massive economy with a lot of potential contributions to the world. But because Europe cannot be someone else, it must be itself with its own values.

One critical area for cooperation is business, and both Europe and China can do more to allow Chinese and European companies to penetrate their markets. Because competition in business is good, but also cooperation. And if we trade more – more Chinese investment in Europe and more European investment in China – that would be also a massive force for better communication.

CGTN: Unfortunately, on the ground, we are seeing something different. Recently, we saw how Italy (is looking to) pull out of China's Belt and Road Initiative. This again raised questions about the influence of major powers on European countries. How should Europe balance its relations with China and the United States while maintaining its own strategic interests and independence?

Erik Solheim: Historically, Europe is much closer to the United States. Look, the main migrants to the United States were Europeans who went there and for 200 years, Europe and the United States have been very, very close. But in today's world, in many areas, Europe has as much in common with China. Europe and China are the main drivers of environmental progress in the world. They are the main drivers of a more peaceful world.

So, I think Europe and China also have a lot of areas to work together, but then it must be based on two components – respect and dialogue. China will never adopt European political systems, but nor will Europe adopt the Chinese political systems. Still, we can respect each other as different civilizations. China and Europe, along with India, are among the basic civilizations of humanity. And if we work together, respect each other, and whenever there are disputes and business, let them be resolved by the world trade organizations and in dialogue.

CGTN: We are living in a very turbulent world. We are witnessing several conflicts. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is not over and we are seeing the flare up in the Middle East. All of these conflicts need international attention and cooperation. Is the current world order and global governance model capable enough to deal with these crises in a constructive way?

Erik Solheim: Absolutely not. The 19th century was the century of European imperialism, the European century. The 20th century was the Central American dominance. This century is the Asian century, which is also the multi-polar century. India, Europe, Brazil, Turkey, whatever nation wants to have their say. And we have two most important nations, the United States and China. We need to bring together all these nations in new forms, and particularly, we need to improve the relations between China and the U.S. because if the main powers of the world work together, it would be so much stronger to solve the key issues of the day.

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