China’s global rise and its Belt and Road Initiative present a challenge to the shared interest of Europe and the United States in maintaining the rules-based international order.

The fact that several European countries are moving to impose restrictions on Chinese investments is noteworthy and represents a major change from just a few years ago. Yet, internal disagreements within Europe on how to approach foreign direct investments remains an impediment.

With a growing presence and interest in the Indo-Pacific, France and the UK could be valuable U.S. partners in maintaining the regional rules-based order.

Each year, barely perceptible tectonic movements pull Europe and North America a few inches further apart. These days “continental drift” applies to geopolitics at least as much as it does to geology. But there is still space for meaningful transatlantic cooperation.