Dreams of a fully united American and European front toward China are over. Although Washington, Brussels, and other European capitals have much in common when it comes to dealing with Beijing, they are now more likely to cooperate out of necessity than goodwill. Going forward, transatlantic leaders will have to manage competing interests by aligning approaches where possible while avoiding policy decoupling where necessary. This essay examines how best to do so by assessing the constraints inhibiting cooperation on China strategy and then identifying specific opportunities for policy convergence in the economic and security domains.
Constraints on cooperation
The United States has traditionally treated Europe as a source of power that could be drawn upon to help address global challenges. Although leaders in Washington, Brussels, and other European capitals often did not see…
