Unified in Response to Rising Powers? China, Russia and Transatlantic Relations

How do the EU and the United States respond to rising powers making territorial claims? Are they unified in their approaches, and if not, where do their policies diverge? Transatlantic unity or dissent in response to main geopolitical issues has implications not only for our understanding of transatlantic security relations but also for the future of global power relations and global governance more broadly. To study EU-US relations in the context of territorial claims, we explore their positions and responses to Chinese advances in the South East China Sea and Russia’s actions in the Ukraine. First, we investigate the EU’s approach towards these issues, focusing on the level of member state cohesion or fragmentation and the extent to which putative common policies are sought through the EU or through NATO. We then compare EU policies and positions to those of the US. Our findings show that rather than uniting with the US as a soft, junior partner, the EU is establishing itself as a more independent and stronger power on the international scene. Regarding transatlantic relations, findings are mixed. On the one hand, the EU and the US are split regarding the salience they attach to the two states. While the EU clearly prioritizes Russia and Ukraine, the US has been much more concerned with China’s behavior. Moreover, the two have different approaches to these territorial challenges. While the US draws on its military strength when confronting China, and to a certain extent also Russia and Ukraine, the EU relies more on diplomacy and negotiation. On the other hand, the EU and the US share a strong focus on international law and foremost justify their positions and policies on this basis.