The War in Ukraine: Implications for EU-China Relations

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shocked Europe and put the established security architecture of the continent into question. While the biggest military conflict in Europe since the end of World War II drags on, member states including Germany have given up on old certainties and drastically expanded their security spendings. The fundamentals of international law, but also the “peace dividend” enjoyed for decades are at stake.

How the world is going to respond to this war will set a precedent for future crises and the application or abandonment of international law. Sanctions and countersanctions already now have an impact on global prosperity, whereas the fallout of Ukrainian and Russian harvests will aggravate hunger in many parts of the world. But the economic long-term effects will be felt for much longer, as many governments will feel compelled to spend more on their defence and thus less on economic policy.

In a roundtable discussion organised by FES Shanghai and the East China Normal University (ECNU), Chinese and European experts and policy makers exchanged their views on the situation in Ukraine – its causes, its implications and possibly its cures. Mr. Zhou Li, former Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee reiterated China’s position in the conflict. Michael Müller, member of the German Bundestag and former Mayor of Berlin, explained Germany’s watershed (‘Zeitenwende’) policies.

Despite the fundamentally different views on the conflict in Ukraine, both sides uttered their hope for a soon peace. Eventually, every war eventually is settled by negotiations.