"The EU is not a priority for China"

Tim Rühlig was quoted in Tagesschau in an article analysing the strained EU-China relations leading to the EU-China Summit in July. 

Tim explained that while Beijing does regard Brussels as a serious negotiating partner, given its reliance on Europe in areas like aviation and nuclear energy, Europe's dependence on China is greater and continuously growing. "Our starting position is steadily worsening," he said.

When asked about Europe's heavy reliance on China for rare earth materials, Tim stressed that China has a virtual global monopoly on rare earths and that Europe is increasingly concerned about the resilience of value chains. (in German).