The EU's (leading) role in opposing China's threat to the Liberal International Order

At a time when China increasingly seems eager to become a hegemonic power throughauthoritarian means, this paper assesses whether EU’s unity and economic strength could be effective inlimiting the corrosive effects of China’s sharp power in the preservation of a liberal world order. For thispurpose, we first make a comparison between EU and China’s economies, namely through a comparativeassessment of quantitative data regarding the components of trade and investment. Then, we explore howthese economic links may also include a projection of sharp power by China, mostly visible through humanrights violations, breaches of rule of law, unfair competition, the theft of technology secrets, as well as therisk of undermining the very own integrity of the European project. Having this in mind, we then reflect onthe limits of doing business with China, trying to understand as to what extent the two distinct political andeconomic models are compatible with the preservation of a liberal order open to free and fair economicexchanges. In the end, while concluding that the Chinese model is increasingly threatening a stableinternational order, we also argue that the EU has a considerable economic deterrence power to push Chinainto respecting global defined rules and arrangements. While considering that the US’s leadership hasreached to a crisis, we argue that the EU (if united) has the opportunity, the economic capacity and even theduty to establish itself as the main promoter of what must remain a rules-based liberal international order.