Even before the agreement to reduce Chinese hybrid car exports to Europe, opinion in China regarding the EU has been shifting. The Europeans are no longer seen as simply doing the Americans’ bidding. As a result, a confrontation now seems less likely.

As EU and Chinese leaders prepare to meet for a summit marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, China’s export patterns are shifting.

China’s top diplomat has proposed aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with Global Gateway, the EU’s infrastructure investment strategy. If it does choose this path, Brussels must remain clear-eyed about the BRI’s firmly China-centric nature.

China wanted a post-US world, but as President Donald Trump takes a wrecking ball to the global order, it may not be ready for one.