The Consistency Of The European Union Foreign Policy Towards One Belt One Road A Comparative Study On The Sino-Brussels And Sino-CEEC Relations

In the context of China Going Global,this paper seeks to evaluate the degree of implication that the European Union(EU)has in the Chinese-led One Belt One Road(OBOR).In order to assess the success or failure of the Beijing's project,the role of the EU in-and towards-it is determinant.If the OBOR unfolds its full potential,it would represent a change of paradigm in the global governance system.The Sino-EU political relations are of three kinds:The "fragmented" one,where the member states,as individual agents,and China have their own bilateral agreements.A second kind of relations where Brussels(EU as a political unity)and Beijing interact as great powers in a bilateral or multilateral format.And the third and most recent kind of relation,the "16+1" format.This multilateral format,established in 2012,coordinates sixteen Central and Eastern European countries(CEEC)with the Middle Kingdom in a given cooperation model.Out of the three kinds of Sino-EU relations the "16+1" format stands up as a singular case and this is so because it is the only one that,although being within the legal umbrella of the EU,brings together European states,substantial number of which belong to the Union,without the supervision of Brussels,in relation with a third party.Given this situation,and leaving aside the "fragmented" kind of relations,the paper's hypothesis states that the Sino-Brussels(R1)and the Sino-CEEC(R2)relations are not consistent with a unified EU foreign scope of action.In order to carry on with the comparison,the paper proceeds by analyzing the scope of Brussels' Foreign Policy towards China and contrasting it with the agreements that have been reached within the "16+1"format.As a result of the research,the thesis validates the hypothesis by asserting that there is a qualitative difference in the nature of the Rl and R2 relationship.The reason for the inconsistency has been identified in the CEEC lack of commitment with the notion of Normative Power Europe.This inconsistency,however,is in a declaratory ambit and has not yet created any factual contradiction in the level of performance of what could be called a EU Foreign Policy.The final considerations of the paper are on the potential challenges that the inconsistency has for a EU;in the threshold of the decision on whether or not turning into a "Multi-speed Europe",and for China;in the process of adapting to a New Normal and of becoming a ruling pole in the international scene through its ambitious project,the OBOR.