An 'Unbreakable Union'? The Nature and Practice of China's Lobbying in Shaping Reshaping the European Union Foreign Policy

The European integration is moving ahead, but the divergence of national interests remains problematic for the EU member states to develop a unanimous foreign policy. Such divergence has created space for foreign countries outside the European Union to practice lobbying in influencing the foreign policy of the Union. The recent case in which Beijing succeeded in weakening the EU statement over the South China Sea Arbitration has unfolded the challenge faced by the Union in dealing with external powers. Thus, the paper is to explore the research question that in what ways China has practiced lobbying in European Union's decision-making process and its impact on remolding the European foreign policies. Methodologically speaking, the paper will be structured on case studies regarding China's economic significance in Central and Eastern Europe and how China transforms it into political leverage (e.g. CEE 16+1). Subsequent qualitative analyses concerning China's lobbying on Central and Eastern European states in reshaping the EU foreign policy will be given on the clash between divergent national strategies and the Union's decision-making process. The paper is also expected to make a comparative examination of China's intervention in ASEAN which shares similar challenges as its European counterpart.