Italy: Cooperation, competition and local politics amid Covid-19

Analysis from 19 countries reveals the complexities of Europe’s relations with China amid the Covid-19 crisis. This report, which brings together experts from across the continent, is a collaborative effort of the 21 research institutes that make up the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC).
As explained by John Seaman, editor of the report, the Covid-19 crisis represents the first time that China has figured so prominently on an issue of immediately critical importance to European citizens, governments, and the European project more broadly. The way that relations with China evolve over the course of the crisis will likely have a lasting effect on the Europe-China relationship. This was already supposed to be a defining year for Europe-China relations. Critical decisions are slated to be made on questions such as 5G licensing rules in Europe and a bilateral investment agreement between China and the EU, while in September, 27 European heads of state and government are meant to sit down, for the first time collectively, with their Chinese counterpart in Leipzig, Germany. Now, 2020 is shaping up to be decisive on an even broader range of issues.