Insider

Your all-access pass to FP

How Europe Is Navigating a Fraught U.S.-China Relationship

“We shouldn’t expect coherence on China policy when the United States is inherently incoherent on it.”

By , the editor in chief of Foreign Policy.
No audio? Hover over the video player, and tap the Click to Unmute button.

Already an FP Subscriber?

On-demand recordings of FP Live conversations are available to FP subscribers.

Last weekend, spy chiefs and defense officials from around the world descended on Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s biggest annual security conference. The U.S. delegation was led by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who asked for a bilateral meeting with China’s new defense minister, Li Shangfu. The request was denied, perhaps in part because Li has been sanctioned by Washington for his role in the purchase of military equipment from Moscow.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Twitter: @RaviReports

Join the Conversation

Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.

Already a subscriber? .

View Comments

Join the Conversation

Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.

Not your account?

View Comments

Join the Conversation

Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.

You are commenting as .
Tags: China, Europe, United States

Read More

A collage of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the CCP Party Congress, and academia and industry.
A collage of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the CCP Party Congress, and academia and industry.

Will China’s Elite Ever Rise Up?

Inside the world of China’s richest players.

Flash Points
FP Contributors
Hand-painted wooden nesting dolls stand on a table. Two are painted with an image of U.S. President Joe Biden, shown from the torso upward, wearing a black suit and smiling against an American flag background. Next to these is a doll painted with the image of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who smiles against a Chinese flag background.
Hand-painted wooden nesting dolls stand on a table. Two are painted with an image of U.S. President Joe Biden, shown from the torso upward, wearing a black suit and smiling against an American flag background. Next to these is a doll painted with the image of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who smiles against a Chinese flag background.

The U.S. Cannot Afford to Lose a Soft-Power Race With China

With a government shutdown looming, Washington’s key diplomatic assets have become a political bargaining chip.

Analysis
Raja Krishnamoorthi
A Confucius Institute float during the parade for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2011 in the streets of Indianapolis, Indiana.
A Confucius Institute float during the parade for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2011 in the streets of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer

Beijing’s censorship has pernicious effects on artists and educational institutions—but abandoning all cultural ties would do more harm than good.

Argument
Suzanne Nossel

latest

The Biden Administration Is Addicted to Partnerships

EU Foreign Ministers Make Historic Kyiv Trip

Biden’s Signature Achievement Needs to Go Global

The Land of Lederhosen, Beer, and Political Chaos

Will China’s Elite Ever Rise Up?
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Biden Administration Is Addicted to Partnerships
  2. 2
    The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
  3. 3
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  4. 4
    Iran Is Exploiting Divisions and U.S. Inaction in Iraqi Kurdistan
  5. 5
    The Land of Lederhosen, Beer, and Political Chaos
  6. 6
    Biden’s Signature Achievement Needs to Go Global

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.

Trending

  1. The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
    Analysis
    Ash Jain

  2. The Biden Administration Is Addicted to Partnerships
    Argument
    Stephen M. Walt

  3. The Land of Lederhosen, Beer, and Political Chaos
    Argument
    John Kampfner

  4. The U.S. Cannot Afford to Lose a Soft-Power Race With China
    Analysis
    Raja Krishnamoorthi

  5. A Tale of Two Germanies
    Review
    Allison Meakem