Conference ‘Quest for strategic autonomy. How should Europe grapple with the US-China rivalry?’

17 Sep 2025 14:00-17:00
Three golden interlocking gears over a map of Europe on a dark textured background. The left gear features the US flag, the right gear shows the Chinese flag, and the bottom gear features a white question mark.
China, the US and the new world order
Organization EGMONT, Elcano Royal Institute, MERICS, IFRI.
Posted on 16 Sep 2025 //

Venue: Egmont Palace

Wednesday, 17th September 2025, from 14:00 to 17:00 h. CEST (UTC+2). Venue: Europe Room, Egmont Palace (Place du Petit-Sablon 8bis, 1000 Brussels, Belgium).

Ten years ago the European-Think-tank Network on China (ETNC) launched its first of many annual reports analysing the state of Europe-China relations from the perspective of a broad range of countries across the continent.

Over the last decade, the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China has ultimately reshaped Europe’s strategic calculations. Our latest report tackles this dynamic head-on, examining how strategic competition between Washington and Beijing is affecting relations between China and 22 European countries.

The report builds on a similar analysis conducted by ETNC in January 2020. It re-examines the geopolitical landscape considering the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s return to the White House, capturing the range of approaches Europeans are taking in dealing with the US-China rivalry and how these are expected to evolve.  

This new geopolitical context has broadened the debate on strategic autonomy in most countries surveyed in the report. Although the pace and ambition of this shift differ, support for strategic autonomy is growing across Europe. At the heart of this discussion is the shared understanding that Europe must reduce its reliance on external powers in key areas such as security, economy and technology.

See also:
ETNC Report: Quest for Strategic Autonomy? Europe Grapples with the US – China Rivalry. Mario Esteban, Miguel Otero Iglesias, Cristina de Esperanza Picardo (coords.).

Programme

13:30  Registrations & Coffee

14:30  Welcome remarks and keynote speech

15:00  ETNC Report presentation

Mario Esteban, report coordinator, Senior Fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute | @wizma9

15:15  Panel discussion

Moderator : Miguel Otero Iglesias, report coordinator, Senior Fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute | @miotei

16:45  Concluding remarks

Bernhard Bartsch, MERICS.

17:00  Cocktail Reception

– The event will be held in English without simultaneous translation.

– In-person event. If you would like to attend, prior registration is required using the form on the Egmont website before 15th September.

Image: Composition of three interlocking golden gears on a Europe map background. Photos: Getty Images.

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