Squeezed by China and the US, is Europe losing its relevance?

Is Europe in danger of being sidelined? The continent’s leaders have been long worried about a widening power gap, as the US and China are competing for economic, technology and military dominance.

China floods European markets with allegedly subsidised products and outperforms major European industries, particularly car manufacturing. Europe’s heavy reliance on Chinese rare earths represents yet another strategic vulnerability. At the same time, President Trump has repeatedly questioned the US commitment to guarantee the security of NATO, while US tech firms dominate right across Europe. With the inefficient decision-making system of the EU and deep internal divisions, how can Europe unite to keep up in a global power rivalry? And falling behind economically and politically, does it risk becoming irrelevant?

Our Professorial Research Fellow Iain Begg was interviewed by The Newsmaker about this topic (see debate at 5:10min).