The Image of the European Union in Perception of Chinese Establishment and Think Tanks

The article analyzes the perception of the EU within Chinese official and expert discourses and traces its evolution between 2003 and 2023. Grounded in the image theory developed by R. Herrmann and M. Fischerkeller, the study reconstructs shifts in China’s representation of the EU and examines how these shifts informed Beijing’s policy toward the Union. The research proceeds from the premise that expert discourse offers a more analytically sensitive reflection of foreign-policy adjustments while also influencing policymaking. The empirical base includes 56 official sources – statements by the President of the PRC, the Premier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Head of the Mission to the EU, and strategic documents – and 101 publications from six major Chinese think tanks. Alongside five classical ideal-typical images of the “Other” (enemy, ally, degenerate, empire, colony), the study employs the additional category of rival, enabling a more precise conceptualization of China–EU relations. The findings reveal a progression from an initially allied image toward those of rival and degenerate, though elements of allied rhetoric remain. A systematic comparison of official and expert narratives identifies turning points in the EU’s evolving image and demonstrates a consistent relationship between these transformations and China’s policy toward the European Union.

1. Cheng L. (2008). Think Tanks in China: growing influence and political limitations. The Brookings Institution. October 23. Available at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/20091023_china.pdf, accessed 12.01.2025.

2. Cui H. (2017). EU’s Bureaucracy Gets in Way of China Ties. China Institute of International Studies (CIIS). February 27. Available at: https://www.ciis.org.cn/english/COMMENTARIES/202007/t20200715_2660.html, accessed 12.01.2025.

3. Feng Zhongping (2023). Relations between China and the EU may well stabilize. Institute of Europe of China Academy of Social Sciences (IES CASS). January 4 (in Chinese). Available at: http://ies.cass.cn/cn/work/comment/202301/t20230104_5577878.shtml, accessed 30.12.2024.

4. Grünberg N., Stec G. (2024). Whispering advice, roaring praises: The role of Chinese think tanks under Xi Jinping. Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). May 08. Available at: https://merics.org/en/report/whispering-advice-roaring-praises-role-chinese-think-tanks-under-xi-jinping, accessed 12.01.2025.

5. Herrmann R.K. (2013). Perceptions and Image Theory in International Relations. In: Huddy L., Sears D.O., Levy J.S. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford Academic, 986 pp.

6. Herrmann R., Fischerkeller M. (1995). Beyond the enemy image and spiral model: Cognitive–strategic research after the cold war. International Organization. Vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 415–450.

7. Holsti K.J. (1970). National Role Conceptions in the Study of Foreign Policy. International Studies Quarterly. Vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 233–309.

8. Jervis R. (1976). Perception and Misperception in International Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 445 pp.

9. Kaveshnikov N.Yu., Lupaltsova A.I. (2024). The Transformation of China’s Image in European Expert Discourse. Sovremennaya Evropa. No. 5, pp. 60–73.

10. Li Mosi (2021). Data-Sharing Cooperation Between China and the EU Amid the “Game” Among China, the United States, and the EU. European Studies. No. 6, pp. 1–24 (in Chinese).

11. Liu Zuokui (2023). Uncertainties in China – EU Cooperation and How to Respond to Them. Institute of Europe of China Academy of Social Sciences (IES CASS). March 13 (in Chinese). Available at: http://ies.cass.cn/cn/work/comment/202303/t20230313_5602889.shtml, accessed 30.12.2024.

12. Mei Zhaorong (2018). China’s Diplomatic Goals under the “Two Constructions” in the Context of China – EU Relations. Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) (in Chinese). Available at: https://www.cpifa.org/cms/book/120, accessed 30.12.2024.

13. Rogachev A. (2016). China and the EU: the issue of granting market economy status. Mezhdunarodnaya zhizn’. No. 8 (in Russian). Available at: URL: https://interaffairs.ru/jauthor/material/1720, accessed 03.12.2025.

14. Vinogradov A.O., Luschik M.O. (2017). To the history of the development of China – EU Relations. China in World and Regional Politics. History and Modernity. No. 22, pp. 352–368 (in Russian).

15. Wang Lingui (2021). Mutually Beneficial Cooperation: Opening a New Chapter in China – EU Relations. European Studies. No. 5, pp. 1–5 (in Chinese).

16. Wang Yiwei (2022). Back to the Future or Reality: Prospects for the EU’s Development in 2022. China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). July 28 (in Chinese). Available at: https://www.cssn.cn/gjgc/gjgc_gcld/202207/t20220728_5424071. shtml, accessed 12.01.2025.

17. Weaver R.K. (1989). The Changing World of Think Tanks. PS: Political Science & Politics. Vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 563–578.

18. Yang Y.E., Liu X. (2012). The ‘China Threat’ through the Lens of US Print Media: 1992–2006. Journal of Contemporary China. Vol. 76, no. 21, pp. 695–711.

19. Zhang Chao (2022). Joint Efforts to Build Forward-Looking China – EU Relations. Institute of Europe of China Academy of Social Sciences (IES CASS). March 30 (in Chinese). Available at: http://ies.cass.cn/cn/work/report/202203/t20220330_5401479.shtml, accessed 30.12.2024.

20. Zhang J., Fang J. (2018). Analysis of the International Discursive Power of Chinese Diplomacy/Security Think Tanks. International Overlook. No. 5, pp. 75–94 (in Chinese).

21. Zhang Jian (2021). Europe’s Strategic Orientation Amid Major Changes and Its Impact. China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). April 5 (in Chinese). Available at: http://www.cicir.ac.cn/NEW/opinion.html?id=a7402e13-0b39-4e5c-934b-4b5d0e51a2b4, accessed 30.12.2024.

22. Zhu Jin (2019). Mutually beneficial and win-win relations between China and the EU bring stability and positive energy to the world. Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) (in Chinese). Available at: https://www.cpifa.org/cms/book/148, accessed 30.12.2024.

23. Zhu X. (2012). The Rise of Think Tanks in China. London: Routledge, 224 pp.