Impact of Strategic Autonomy on EU-China Relations in the Post-Cuminment Era: Balancing Trade, Technology, and Human Rights Norms

Project Abstract

This study examines how the European Union’s Strategic Autonomy (SA) agenda reshapes its complex relationship with China in the post-Cuminment era, with a focus on balancing trade interests, technology governance, and human rights norms. Building on a multi-disciplinary framework that integrates international political economy, security studies, and normative theory, the research investigates the asymmetric power dynamics, institutional innovations, and policy instruments that enable or constrain EU action while maintaining coherence with its internal market objectives and alliance commitments. The analysis interrogates three interlinked tensions economic interdependence versus strategic autonomy, competitive technological leadership versus global governance norms, and market access with values-based diplomacy against a backdrop of coercive state practices and export-control regimes. Methodologically, the study combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, including a comparative case analysis of EU responses to Chinese trade practices, state-led technology investments, and human rights concerns in Xinjiang and other domains; policy document analysis; elite interviews with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and scholars; and a dataset on EU sanction regimes, investment screening, and research collaboration trends from 2015 to 2025. The findings reveal that SA is not a fixed objective but a dynamic process shaped by political coalitions within the EU, member state interests, and external pressures from the United States, Japan, and other strategic partners. The research identifies four core channels through which SA influences EU-China relations (1) instrument diversification, including diversification of supply chains, investment screening, and strategic technologies export controls; (2) normative alignment, where human rights considerations gain leverage in trade and investment negotiations without undermining economic welfare; (3) governance experimentation, as the EU experiments with decoupling and selective engagement to protect critical technologies while preserving market access; and (4) strategic signaling, where the EU uses calibrated diplomacy to deter coercive practices while offering space for cooperation in areas of mutual benefit such as climate action and global health. The study finds that human rights norms remain a contentious but increasingly consequential axis, pressuring China on issues of rule of law and civil liberties while challenging the EU to operationalize its values without provoking retaliatory pressure on trade and investment flows. Policy implications emphasize crafting a coherent SA roadmap that harmonizes external pressure with internal market integrity, investing in strategic technologies through European partnerships, and strengthening multilateral fora to advance governance norms in technology transfer, AI ethics, and human rights protection. Finally, the research offers a set of actionable recommendations for EU institutions to enhance strategic resilience, align external policy with domestic economic and ethical standards, and support a balanced, principled, and pragmatic approach to China policy in a rapidly changing global order.

Project Overview

What This Project Is About

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A simple, student-friendly overview of how the European Union’s strategic choices affect its relations with China, focusing on trade, technology, and human rights norms. The project asks how Europe can pursue its own strategic interests while engaging China on cooperation and competition.

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The Problem It Addresses

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The gap between Europe’s goals of openness and its push for more control over security, supply chains, and values has created tensions with China. This project explores how to balance economic ties with principled stands on rights and norms, and why this balance matters for policy and public debate.

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Objectives of the Project

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1. Explain what strategic autonomy means for the EU in practice.
2. Identify key tensions between trade interests, technology policy, and human rights norms in EU-China relations.
3. Assess how current EU policies address these tensions and where gaps remain.
4. Propose practical criteria for evaluating EU actions toward China in the future.

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What You Will Do Step by Step

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1. Review introductory literature on EU strategic autonomy and EU-China relations.
2. Map major policy areas: trade, technology, and human rights frameworks.
3. Analyze official EU documents and statements to identify core priorities.
4. Compare case studies of EU responses to Chinese policy moves.
5. Interview or survey policy experts (optional) to capture stakeholder views.
6. Synthesize findings into a balanced set of recommendations.

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Expected Outcome

A clear, accessible set of policy recommendations for pursuing strategic autonomy while maintaining constructive EU-China engagement, with a concise framework for evaluating future actions and potential impact on trade, technology access, and rights protection.