Former Greek FM calls for EU strategic autonomy, win-win ties with China

The European Union should pursue independent foreign and economic policies rather than follow the United States' lead and seek mutually beneficial cooperation with China despite trade frictions, former Greek foreign minister George Katrougalos said.

Katrougalos, who currently serves as a United Nations independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, made the remarks in an interview with China Daily during the 2026 Global Governance Forum (Xiong'an), held in Hebei province.

"I think that the European Union should try to become an independent pole in the current multipolar world," he said.

He said that a more balanced international order would be possible if the EU spoke for itself and pursued its own economic policies rather than following US foreign policy, an approach he described as "European strategic autonomy".

On China-EU economic relations, Katrougalos said the two sides "can have a win-win collaboration", pointing to recent efforts to address differences over vehicle exports as evidence that common ground could be found.

His comments followed a new round of China-EU trade consultations in Beijing earlier this month, during which the two sides reached an understanding on hybrid vehicle trade and reaffirmed their commitment to addressing trade differences under World Trade Organization rules.

Katrougalos also placed the importance of European strategic autonomy in the context of a changing international order.

He said the world has moved beyond both the bipolar confrontation of the Cold War and the subsequent period of US dominance, but warned that multilateralism and the United Nations system are facing growing challenges.

In this environment, he said, China plays a stabilizing role through its support for multilateralism and the UN system.

Katrougalos noted that China's contribution goes beyond diplomatic initiatives — including the Global Governance Initiative — to practical efforts to address shared challenges.

Citing climate change, he pointed to China's support for international climate agreements, as well as its development of electric vehicles, batteries, and other green technologies, describing the efforts as a combination of diplomacy and concrete action.

He also described the Global Governance Initiative as "the culmination of the three previous initiatives of China", saying it is consistent with the UN Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals and responds to the needs of an increasingly multipolar world.