Despite the established comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU, mutual trust is still lacking.

China has been supportive of a united, stable, and prosperous Europe in its effort to promote a multipolar world order. Even during the EU’s most difficult period during the European debt crisis, China stood by and invested in crucial member states.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was established far earlier than the BRI, and it has become a sophisticated framework for China’s partnerships with African countries. Thus, FOCAC can be a mini-version of multilateral cooperation that aids the implementation of BRI projects.

While the international community focuses its attention on trade, issues related to global production networks and flows of capital are essential to the discussion, which means monetary, investment, and fiscal policy must also be considered.

Since its unveiling in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has developed into a sweeping global project with profound implications for the international financial system, China’s own growth model, and governance in China and in countries along the Belt.

Amid the threats of an inward-looking United States and rising European populism, cooperation between the EU and China is more necessary than ever.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is solidifying relations between the two nations but the project faces multiple security and political challenges.

China’s investments into the Greek port of Piraeus has opened further opportunities to expand Sino-Hellenic relations.

The European Union is facing a number of challenges that could impact the block’s relationships with China, including the refugee crisis, a rise in populist political parties, and Brexit.

While Chinese investments could increase the odds of Greece staying within the Eurozone, it will not resolve the structural problems that demand political consensus from within the EU.