After World War II, European integration had a profound impact on the international relations landscape, and the European Union played an important role in European and global affairs. In recent years, the EU has promoted internal integration and external strategic transformation, demonstrating a new role as a "geopolitical actor". Against the backdrop of intensified strategic competition between China and the United States, as well as deteriorating relations between the West and Russia, the European Union seeks to participate in the great power game as a strategic force and safeguard its own interests. After Biden took office, the European Union actively cooperated with the adjustment of the United States' foreign policy, strengthened the coordination and cooperation of European American relations and affairs related to China and Russia. After the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU took a tough attitude towards Russia and strengthened its competition with China. However, the EU has its own goals and principles in major international affairs, and has different interests in its relations with China than the United States. When participating in major power games, it is not completely synchronized with the United States, highlighting its unique role and function in global affairs and international relations. This article focuses on the multiple roles of the European Union in the relationship between China, the United States, and Europe, and explores its impact on the trilateral interaction between China, the United States, and Europe, as well as the future development of China Europe relations.

1、 The Characteristics and Current Situation of China US Europe Relations

In current international politics, the trilateral relationship between China, the United States, and Europe has become the most prominent interaction between major powers at the global level. This relationship has diversified characteristics, manifested as a triangular relationship of cooperation and competition coexisting, which is different from the hostile triangle between China, the United States, and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The trilateral relationship between China, the United States, and Europe exhibits asymmetry, with strategic consistency between the US and Europe outweighing differences, while the consistency between China and Europe is less than the commonality between the US and Europe, resulting in an asymmetric game model of interaction among the three parties. In addition, the relationship between China, the United States, and Europe is a dynamic process with plasticity and variability. Against the backdrop of the return of 'great power competition', the relationship between China, the United States, and Europe is currently in a period of intense collision. The Trump administration has positioned China as a major "strategic competitor" and launched comprehensive containment and competition against China, while viewing the European Union as an "enemy", resulting in serious impacts on the transatlantic alliance and US European relations. The Biden administration continues its tough policy towards China, but attaches great importance to working with allies, especially the European Union, to jointly address the "China challenge". Although the US European relationship has been repaired since Biden took office, the space for repairing the relationship between the two sides is limited due to the impact of international changes and structural contradictions between the US and Europe. In recent years, China EU relations have also experienced a certain degree of decline, but the EU's strategy towards China, which focuses on contact and cooperation, has not fundamentally changed. In the trilateral relationship between China, the United States, and Europe, the European Union is unwilling to "choose sides", and the three sides will maintain an unequal triangle relationship. The EU's policy towards China will also become a lever for Europe and the United States to approach or distance themselves. As a key third party, the EU plays a unique and subtle role in the relationship between China, the United States, and Europe. In the current context of the game between China and the United States, Europe provides a "buffer zone" where both countries can exert a certain degree of influence, highlighting the strategic importance of the European Union to both China and the United States. At the same time, it means that both China and the United States will strive to win the support of the European Union. The United States will continue to exert efforts to woo and coerce the European Union to confront China, and this will not fundamentally change due to domestic political changes in the United States or short-term stabilization of Sino US relations. China needs to break the United States' plot and hold and stabilize the European Union, which has urgent strategic and significant practical significance.

2、 The multiple roles of the European Union in the interaction between China, the United States, and Europe

The EU plays multiple roles in the interaction between China, the United States, and Europe, including stakeholders and power balancers, informal allies, and conflicting partners. Despite a decline in strength, the European Union remains an important strategic force in the world. As a stakeholder, the EU is seen as a key player in the competition between China and the US, and both the US and China are trying to garner its support. The EU also sees itself as a stakeholder in the China US relationship and hopes to maintain a cooperative relationship with both countries. Faced with intensified competition between China and the United States, the European Union hopes to play the role of a power balancer by emphasizing "strategic autonomy" to avoid marginalization in the new polarized world. French President Macron actively promotes European strategic autonomy to achieve independence in defense, technology, and foreign policy. The EU seeks to maintain a balance between China and the United States, adopting a "cake cake" strategy in the hope of gaining maximum benefits from competition.

3、 The Development Prospects of China Europe Relations

Europe is an important component of China's diplomatic strategy, and in the context of competition between China and the United States, the importance of China Europe relations is increasingly prominent. Since November 2022, several European leaders have visited China, demonstrating the importance both sides attach to China Europe relations. China should adhere to the strategic thinking of "pulling Europe and stabilizing the United States", and adopt comprehensive measures to ensure that cooperation in China EU relations outweighs competition, promote the development of China EU US relations towards relative balance, and reduce the risk of the US EU joint response to China.