China-EU Relations in the Perspective of Global Governance

Zhao Chen is Associate Professor and Sub-Chief of European Politics Department, the Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Q: Why do we need to understand China-EU relations in the perspective of global governance?

A: China is far from Europe in geography. The distance between Beijing and Brussels is 4957 miles or 7975 kilometers that covers 7 time zones. Even from Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang Province, the west side of China, to Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, the east side of European Union, you have to travel 3151 miles or 5071 kilometers.

Now these astonishing figures don’t matter anymore. Why? We are now living in a globalized world. Technological innovation of communication and transportation has narrowed our real distance and makes us connected instantly.
In 2011, China exceeded the United States and became the No.1 trade partner for the EU, and EU has been China’s biggest trade partner for years. For many European businessmen, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, etc., are quite familiar to them, just like they know San Francesco, Philadelphia and Atlanta. 

Q: You said you would like to look the China-EU relationship in the perspective of global governance.  Tell us more about your arguments.

A: Both China and European Union are important actors of global governance. There have been more and more issues in consultation and cooperation between China and EU, either in the global political institutions with the Unite Nations as the center, the new rising global institutions such as G20, or the global monetary institutions like International Monetary Fund. We may say that China-EU relationship has become an indispensable part of the complex global governance framework.

On the one hand, the economic globalization trend requests all the nation-states or regions to overcome international anarchy and cooperate in the areas as finance, environment, anti-terrorism and nuclear proliferation. On the other hand, based on their unique history, political tradition, social model and the position in the international system, EU and China have different views about global governance.

From this viewpoint, we can say that China and EU have different understanding of the concepts of global governance. As a result, the EU and China have different approaches to tackle global issues, and the difference has caused misunderstandings between the two sides.

Q: Then what is the European concept of global governance?

A: Europe is the most adamant advocate for global governance. EU’s global governance concept can be summarized as “global constitutionalism on the basis of human rights”. How the European countries see global governance is related with the practice of EU governance. EU itself is a sui-generis political system with strong supra-nationality that is different from other international organizations. The sovereignty of EU’s member states has been transferred into the supranational institutions like European Commission, European Parliament or European Court of Justice.

In other regional organizations such as African Union or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the member states have not transferred their sovereignty. Although the sovereignty concept was invented in Europe, European countries put less emphasis on it than the countries in the other parts of the world. Europe widely recognizes that it has stepped into the post nation-state phase with post modern thought. With the lessons of two world wars and the experience of European integration, the public and elites are very cautious of nationalism and skeptical of the concept of state.

The global governance concept of Europe is an en enlarged version of European governance and the continuity of Immanuel Kant’s design of the democratic community. EU and its member states want to overcome the chaos and wars brought by international anarchy through strengthening the international institutions and overspreading the international norms. Europe is the most positive area that advocates the legalization of international society, which focuses on the institutionalization process of international law. Europe actively asks the UN to establish the International Criminal Court and promotes the rule of law of other countries in the world. It also untiringly supports the ideas of death penalty abolition and citizens’ political freedom. Therefore, the global governance concept of EU can be concluded as Constitutionalism on the basis of human rights.

Q: What about Chinese concept of global governance?

A: The Chinese global governance concept can be named as “egalitarianism on the sovereignty”. The equality is the key norm of China. Chinese government believes that the developed countries and developing countries should have an equal footing in global economic governance, and at the same time, states, as the basic actors, should address issues through equal deliberation. As a developing country, China believes that it is highly necessary to increase the say and representativeness of developing countries in international organizations and international architectures, strive for the equal position when dealing with international affairs, change the inequality and imbalance in south-north relations, and alter the situation that the western countries lead and monopolize the international society. China believes that these efforts are conducive to enhancing China’s international influence and hence to comply with China’s national interests.

In retrospect of the New China’s foreign diplomacy over the 60 years, we will find the principle of equality has been China’s diplomatic norm. It is indispensible from China’s modern history of being invaded and bullied since the War of Opium. After Chinese people terminated the old era of “inequality” by overthrowing “the old society” with many unequal treaties, and founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949, a new world of “equality” has become Chinese people’s ideal world order, and equality has become China’s diplomatic ethics inherently. Therefore, China’s diplomacy has essentially reflected equality principle.

Even though the non-state actors have an increasingly impact on the world, China still believes that states are the core actors of global governance and the sovereignty states are the basis of international relations in the 21st century. The world is far from “Great Unity”, and states, rather than humans, are the basic unit of governance. In interaction with globalization, China has been expanding the effectiveness of governments, and making it adapted to globalization. On the norm, China insists with the equality principle, regarding all sovereign states are independent and equal. “Par in parem non habet jurisdictionem”, a country must not impose its wills on others.

This principle is different from the West. For example, in the process of aiding Africa, equality is the soul of China-Africa relations. China regards its aid to Africa reciprocal, rather than unilateral. China has never used “donors” or “donees”, indicating that relations between the West and Africa are like one being superior and the other being inferior.

Q: Finally, can you make a brief comment on the two models of global governance and tell us how the different concepts have influenced the China-EU relationship?

A: Each civilization must put forward their suggestions applicable to the whole world by framing globalization. There should be some other kinds of globalization such as European globalization and Chinese globalization. Chinese and European global governance concept enriches the connotation of global governance.

However, like the famous American international political scientist Kenneth Waltz said, like mankind, states can by no means be perfect. Both Chinese and European global governance methods have disadvantages. The global constitutional governance on human rights, which is evident in the EU and its member states, does not fully respect the autonomy and self-governance ability of the other regions and countries in the world. Chinese equalitarian global governance concept based on sovereignty cannot ensure the effective cooperation between countries when the world is in de facto anarchy, and prevention of humanitarian disasters in special circumstances. To realize cooperation on the basis of their own global governance methods is important to the future development of China-Europe relations.

（Contact Zhao Chen：zhaochen@cass.org.cn）