European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Photo: VCG

With changes unseen in a century rapidly unfolding,mk and the world turning into a less stable and certain place, risks of division, fragmentation and disorder are looming large. Against this backdrop, China-EU relations have more strategic significance and global influence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday, in response to European Commission President Ursula that EU and China can find agreements that could even expand trade and investment ties.

China attaches great importance to its ties with the EU and views the EU as its comprehensive strategic partner and an important and independent pole in the multipolar world. We hope the EU will also become China's trustworthy cooperation partner, Lin said.

As US President Donald Trump suggested the EU could be the next to face US tariffs, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - seen by media as the continent's most prominent China hawk - stated on Tuesday that there is room to strengthen trade relations and even "find agreements" with Beijing, in "an era of hyper-competitive and hyper-transactional geopolitics."

"We will keep de-risking our economic relationship - as we have been doing in recent years. But there is also room to engage constructively with China - and find solutions in our mutual interest," von der Leyen said in a speech before the EU's diplomatic corps in Brussels, South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday. 

The European Commission President said she believes that EU and China can find agreements that could even expand trade and investment ties. "It is a fine line that we need to walk. But it can lead us to a fairer and more balanced relationship with one of the world's economic giants. And that can make sense for Europe," she continued.

On Sunday, Trump warned that tariffs on the European Union would "definitely happen," adding that "I wouldn't say there's a timeline but it's going to be pretty soon," Guardian reported. The warning followed his signing of executive orders imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, alongside an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports.

The EU is ready to engage in "tough negotiations" with Trump to prevent a trade war between the two sides, von der Leyen said on Tuesday, a day after Canada and Mexico struck last-minute deal with the White House to temporarily avoid the painful imposition of 25 percent tariffs, euronews.com reported.

This marks at least the second time in less than a month that a "softened tone" was observed in von der Leyen's remarks about China. In a speech delivered at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 21, she mentioned China 14 times. While claiming a "China shock" to world trade was caused by so-called "over-capacity," she expressed at the same time a willingness to "engage and deepen" EU's relationship with China.

"Since Trump took office, Europe has been observing the situation, hoping to avoid negative impacts to European interests. Von der Leyen's remarks send two signals respectively to the US and China - for the US, she is playing the 'China card' so as to push the US back to a policy more favorable to Europe; for China, the move signals that there is still room for cooperation between the two sides," Cui Hongjian, a professor of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Despite von der Leyen's softened rhetoric, the EU continues to take a two-faced approach in its dealings with China. The EU will increase customs checks on goods shipped directly by ecommerce retailers like China-owned Temu and Shein to EU consumers, according to a draft of an official communication seen by Reuters. The directive is expected to be published on Wednesday, the report said.

Last week, Europe's top trade official Maroš Šefčovič, seeking to win over Trump, said that Brussels was ready to team up with Washington to strengthen economic security in the face of the competitive threat posed by China, POLITICO reported. 

Cui noted that von der Leyen's remarks suggest a tactic adjustment rather than a fundamental policy shift, as her maneuver remains constrained by prior remarks of "de-risking."

"The current relationship among China, the US, and Europe is increasingly complex. On one hand, if Trump imposes tariffs on Europe, it could provide a certain window of opportunity for closer China-EU ties. However, how big this opportunity is depends on how smoothly the US and Europe coordinate," Cui said.

The friction between the US and Europe could lead Europe to reassess its strategic balancing act between China and the US to optimize its own interests, the expert said. For example, Europe has significant interest in cooperating with China in AI, creating room for substantial cooperation. Europe should recognize that no matter how it attempts to "de-risk," cooperation with China remains the most beneficial option, Cui noted.