Club de Madrid Member and former President of Slovenia Danilo Türk has published a new opinion article in China Daily examining the prospects for renewed economic cooperation between China and the European Union amid a rapidly evolving global trading environment.
In the article, titled “Courage, foresight needed for China-EU dialogue“, President Türk welcomes the recent agreement between China and the European Union to establish four dedicated workstreams covering trade and investment balancing, export controls, intellectual property rights and reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO). He argues that, if pursued with determination, these discussions could help restore greater stability to bilateral economic relations while reinforcing the multilateral trading system.
President Türk calls for a shift in perspective—from excessive caution to “careful optimism”—and encourages policymakers to move beyond narratives of confrontation towards recognising new opportunities for cooperation. He highlights China’s decision not to seek new special and differential treatment in future WTO negotiations, together with the country’s efforts to rebalance its economy through stronger domestic demand, as encouraging signals that can support a more constructive relationship with Europe.
Looking beyond the immediate negotiations, President Türk argues that the current moment should be seized to advance broader reform of the WTO. Drawing on the history of successive reforms to the international trading system, he contends that today’s global challenges require a similarly ambitious approach, grounded in dialogue, mutual confidence and effective multilateral cooperation.
Concluding his article, President Türk urges European and Chinese negotiators to approach the ongoing consultations with courage and foresight, viewing them not simply as technical discussions but as an opportunity to contribute to a stronger and more resilient global economic governance framework.
