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China’s deepening engagement with the Global South is reshaping the geopolitical environment of Europe–Asia relations. Through trade, investment, infrastructure, technology and diplomatic initiatives, Beijing is strengthening its position within an increasingly contested and multipolar international order. Yet many Global South states pursue strategies of multi-alignment rather than simply choosing between China and the West.
This panel examines how China’s expanding ties with the Global South affect Europe’s strategic position and policy options. It asks whether Europe can develop meaningful partnerships and strategic agency in a global order increasingly shaped by China and by the growing autonomy of Global South actors. In doing so, it connects the China debate to broader questions of multipolarity, international order and Europe’s role in a changing geopolitical landscape. By placing China’s strategies towards the Global South at the centre of analysis, the panel first examines the drivers, instruments and implications of Beijing’s engagement, before turning to the question of how Europe should respond.