Europe-China ties shall focus on commonalities and shared interests

Editor's note: Dinos Stasinopoulos, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a former European Commission official. He is currently a consultant in global economics and governance. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The relative decline of the U.S. and the simultaneous rise of China dominate the global governance debate over two decades. The West-driven international economic and trade order was based on multilateral systems involving trade liberalization and deregulation. It has created a mutual dependence and benefited wealth increase but failed to promote all-inclusive growth in developed and developing world.

However, now that the global order is no longer West-focused, more countries are choosing to prioritize their own affairs and search for new systems that will meet shared challenges for inclusive growth.

Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the BRICS group has been an important force in shaping the international landscape with an emphasis on all-inclusive growth. The recent expansion of BRICS (including six countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) attests to the need for a new approach to international relations.

It is quite evident that the world is now going through a transition which makes it imperative to focus on the same interests and issues that unite us, and not problems that divide us, to be able to navigate through this complex environment.

Currently, global affairs face serious difficulties since many countries demonstrate their lack of understanding of the values and interests of the rest of the world. This lack of understanding can be explained since values are culture-bound and are relative to certain individual or collective interests and preferences.

There is no doubt that philosophical or religious backgrounds have shaped culture and values in China while Athenian philosophy and Protestant individualism have shaped values in Europe. In Asia, and particularly in China, collective societal concerns are determining values while individualism has prevailed in Europe.

The West should realize that individualism contrasts with societal concerns that the world needs now. How these tensions are managed is becoming an important issue in global affairs to get the balance between them.

A culture of self-sovereignty is so embedded in Western culture that prevents Europe from noticing how their actions or activities impact others. In China, the benefits of common goods are more important than the limitations on individual rights.

In order to navigate international relations in this complex multipolar world, Europe and China should take into account that despite their disparate origins, they have commonalities that could foster a more sustainable global society.

European and Chinese cultures produced the world's virtue ethics, and both recognized that human thriving depends on excellence, respect for the culture and moderation of individualist desires in pursuit of social harmony.

Harmonious societies depend on the balance of individualism and collective responsibility. Both philosophies do not propose an action to follow but instead must work to develop a virtuous culture and respect others in social interactions. Both are looked to as a system that put an end to civil chaos.

The West should understand that negotiating global issues is a laborious process requiring a balancing act looking at commonalities, similarities and shared interests. This is of paramount importance now as the world has moved in the last two decades from a unipolar world to a multipolarity.

It is hoped that Europe will move away from individualism and counterproductive confrontational approaches, and instead work together with China. Acknowledging that cultural and historical differences are not as important as similarities based on concepts of self-control and regulation can guide international relations.

Europe and China can coexist better today if they focus on what connects them. That way they will better play a leading role in the world and serve as a universal paradigm for the whole world.

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