The European Union has been urged to weaponise its giant market to draw concessions from China, whose economic fragility is making it increasingly reliant on rich export markets.<\/p>\n
A new report from the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), the EU\u2019s official think tank, said \u201cChina\u2019s weakness creates opportunities\u201d for the bloc to use its chokepoints and leverage to bring Beijing to the negotiating table in a credible way.<\/p>\n
With the United States rapidly narrowing for Chinese buyers and sellers, Europe remains the last reasonably open advanced market where they can buy vital technology and sell industrial and hi-tech goods.<\/p>\n
The researchers \u2013 who are funded by the EU but have full intellectual autonomy \u2013 said Europe had been too slow to realise how much leverage this reality bestowed, partly because it overestimated China\u2019s economic strength.<\/p>\n
Instead, the EUISS suggested, Beijing\u2019s more assertive international posture was driven by insecurities at home.<\/p>\n