European countries are increasingly more receptive to the Belt and Road Initiative and Chinese investment, but concerns remain over how competition from Chinese firms will impact developed European economies.

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

China must stand with the EU at this moment of reckoning and proactively participate in the debate about Europe’s future.

Xi Jinping’s visit to the UK is expected to advance a new round of economic and political cooperation, ushering in a “golden age” of bilateral engagement.

Crises in Greece and Ukraine have established Germany as a key European power, yet they also have demonstrated how Germany’s power can polarize the continent and present risks to the European project.

Deeper economic and political cooperation between China, the UK, and the EU appears likely if diplomatic pitfalls can be avoided.

Although it did not pass, the Scottish referendum on independence will have repercussions for the United Kingdom, the European Union, and perhaps even further afield.

The Ukraine crisis is not only a test for the EU and Germany but also a significant opportunity for China to usher in a new relationship among large powers.