INCREASING ACTORNESS? DYNAMICS OF THE EU'S INTERNATIONAL ROLES IN RELATIONS WITH THE PRC

Responding to the changing international environment, the European Union seeks to strengthen its actorness by rethinking its international roles within the framework of the Strategic Partnership with China. The article aims to analyze the dynamics and hierarchy of EU roles in relation to China as an effort to enhance the actorness of the integration association. Role theory is used as an analytical tool to study materials from EU–PRC summits (2003–2024): joint declarations and EU leadership statements. The novelty of the study lies in examining the EU’s actorness and its engagement with third countries through a new theoretical perspective, using China as a case. Traditionally, to assert leadership in bilateral relations with China, Brussels has applied three main roles—“normative power,” “market power,” and “security actor.” To maintain influence, the EU constructed hierarchies among these roles, but geopolitical changes and the move toward Strategic Autonomy disrupted this logic. The EU now foregrounds the role of “security actor” in relations with Beijing, adjusting its content and direction. This includes continued engagement on global issues, pressure on Russia, signaling China on Asia-Pacific policy, and ensuring EU economic security. These moves further politicize relations and reduce opportunities for multi-level dialogue within the Strategic Partnership framework.