It is easy to understand why some in Europe feel tempted to deepen ties with China right now. Ever since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he has unleashed unprecedented global uncertainty, mixed with an element of ideological hostility to everything Europeans hold dear. Thus far, his second term has given us renewed tariffs on trade, abrasive rhetoric towards allies, the occasional threat to the territorial integrity of a fellow ally, and a profoundly transactional approach to foreign policy that may ostensibly put America First—and Europe seemingly last.
But Europe must resist the urge to do a knee-jerk ‘pivot to China’ in response. A tighter embrace of Beijing may seem like a clever hedge, but it is a dangerous distraction. If the European Union allows Trump’s tornado to push it into China’s orbit, it will not gain autonomy—it will surrender leverage.
President Trump has wasted no time reasserting his disdain for multilateralism and his scepticism toward the EU, which he claims “was created to screw the US.” His decision to slap a minimum of 10% tariffs on all imports—regardless of origin— is a direct threat to European and other exporters. Higher tariffs on specific sectors such as cars, or steel and aluminium only make it worse. He has questioned NATO’s mutual defence clause, warning allies not to count on US protection unless they “pay their bills.” And he’s been vocal in criticising the EU’s regulatory model, painting it as hostile to American tech and trade.